Dodgers fans will be thrilled with Mookie Betts' roster decision that was a long time coming

The Dodgers were so confident in Mookie Betts' readiness after a monthlong IL stint that the two-game rehab assignment they sent him on really just felt like a formality. The Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets announced he would be in their lineup on Friday and Saturday, and Dave Roberts confirmed the Dodgers expected him to be back on Monday for their opener against the Giants.

Santiago Espinal seemed like the obvious cut, but the Dodgers restructured his contract to push back the date of his advanced consent clause, which initially would've let the team release him without paying the rest of the money on his deal after 45 days.

That meant it was either Alex Freeland or Hyeseong Kim going down as Betts came up, renewing the battle that Freeland eventually won during spring training.

Not so this time around. On Monday, Jack Harris of the California Post reported that Freeland would be the one getting sent down in Betts' place.

Espinal probably still isn't long for the roster and is likely to be sent down as soon as Kiké Hernández completes his rehab assignment — and it's still a little strange that the Dodgers are sticking with him, even for just a few extra days — but the Dodgers made the right decision between Freeland and Kim.

Dodgers decide roster battle between Alex Freeland and Hyeseong Kim as Mookie Betts is reactivated from IL

Kim truthers (us included) would argue that it should've always been Kim up first, but the bright side to losing Betts was that both Kim and Freeland ended up getting a bit of a runway in the majors to continue competing for a more full-time role.

Offensively, Kim and Freeland have been pretty comparable players, but Kim has started to pull away in his last seven games while Freeland's bat has died down. Ultimately, what might've decided things in Kim's favor is his defensive versatility; now that the Dodgers are definitely going to be without Tommy Edman for a while longer, Kim is the only option who can bring some of his flexibility.

It didn't help that Freeland's highly-touted plate discipline has almost completely disappeared in the major leagues. He has a .309 OBP versus a career .372 in Triple-A.

This move is really the best of all worlds. Betts is back, Kim stays. If most Dodgers fans had their way, this is how things would've looked on Opening Day, too.

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