Dodgers fans finally got their wish, but it hasn't stopped Mookie Betts’ horrific slump

There’s only so long a team can keep explaining away a superstar’s slump before the explanation itself begins to sound worse than the numbers. The Los Angeles Dodgers were approaching that point with Mookie Betts, and Dave Roberts finally did something about it. Roberts finally moved Betts down in the batting order last week.

Roberts didn’t hide from what everyone else can see. He said Betts is “not confident in his swing, his mechanics,” then added, “I think a little bit overthinking, trying too hard, anxious.”

That’s probably honest. Baseball is hard, and slumps can spiral once they start living rent-free in a hitter’s head. But also, we’re talking about a 13-year pro. So Dodgers fans weren't wrong for hearing all of that and asking the obvious follow-up: why are they treating him like everything is normal? Nothing about it looks normal anymore. 

Betts entered the season like he entered every one before, as one of the safest bets in baseball. However, through 79 at-bats, he was hitting .165 with four home runs, 10 RBI and a .572 OPS while occupying the No. 2 spot in the lineup. And since returning from the injured list, he was hitting just .157 in May.

Fans were growing frustrated. They were tired of watching the same empty at-bats get explained with softer language. Some even suggested dropping him lower in the lineup. Some even want him to be given days off. Anything that says the Dodgers have stopped pretending patience is the only logical answer.

Dodgers finally bumped Mookie Betts down in the lineup

Betts has earned more patience than almost anyone in the sport. He has a track record that should keep the panic meter from flying completely off the wall. But at some point, the Dodgers had to separate respect from stubbornness. If Roberts is saying Betts is anxious at the plate, overthinking and lacking confidence, then why are we supposed to believe the best solution is more pressure in the same exact role?

Betts was finally moved down in the Dodgers' batting order last week. Roberts bumped him back from No. 2 to No. 4 and he finally had a mini-surge going 6-for-19 with a pair of home runs and a double. But he was the only player in the starting lineup who didn't get a hit during Sunday's series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies. Dodgers fans will need to see more before there's belief that Betts is all the way back.

The Dodgers are one of the few teams built to absorb this kind of lineup adjustment without it feeling like a public embarrassment. There are elite hitters all over the lineup. Moving Betts down for a few days (or longer if need be) doesn't appear to be a dramatic punishment, but it could be a manager acknowledging what everyone can already see.

Dropping Betts in the order shouldn't be considered an insult. Even giving him a day or two to breathe might actually be nice. That's essentially managing the player in front of you instead of managing the name on the back of the jersey.

Roberts opened himself up to criticism by his defense of Betts. Not because he was wrong to do so. But fans heard the defense, and still hated the process. Betts didn't look right. The numbers were bad. The performance wasn't inspiring much faith. And the body language didn't help. 

Moving him down a few spots has given fans flashes of the version of Betts they know and love, but something more drastic could be in store if he doesn't put up some consistent ABs over the next several games.

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