Dodgers name $11,000,000 star as Mookie Betts replacement to counter lefties Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga in Tokyo Series

The LA Dodgers have named the player who will play shortstop in the absence of Mookie Betts in the Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and Wednesday. Betts is battling an undisclosed illness, and the club is reportedly contemplating his return to LA for fast recovery.

Miguel Rojas, who is signed to a two-year, $11,000,000 contract, will replace the former MVP. MLB insider Fabian Ardaya confirmed the news on Sunday.

The move doesn't come as a surprise since the Chicago Cubs' starting pitchers for the Tokyo Series are two southpaws: Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele.

Rojas will probably bat down the batting order of manager Dave Roberts, which includes Shohei Ohtani leading off.

If the batting order of the Dodgers against Hanshin Tigers is taken into consideration, second baseman Tommy Edman sweeps in to hit second behind Ohtani followed by first baseman Freddie Freeman in the 3-hole.

What happened to Dodgers' Mookie Betts?

Earlier on Monday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Mookie Betts will not take part in the two-game Tokyo Series starting on Mar. 18. Betts reportedly caught a bug last week and it has led him to lose around 15 pounds.

With a risk of injury on the horizon, if he plays, the Dodgers are currently deciding to send him back to LA so that he could recover in time for the home opener on March 27 against the Detroit Tigers.

According to the New York Times, Betts did hit the field for a workout before each of the exhibition games against the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers; however, he was clearly not as fit and healthy. At one point, he even dropped to his knee.

“The thing is when you lose a lot of weight, when you’re dehydrated, that’s what opens a person up to soft-tissue injuries,” Roberts said. “We’re very mindful of that. So to take the next week … to build him back up, his strength, do some baseball activities to get ready for the home opener.”

Betts has been preparing to return to shortstop all offseason. He played in the right field during the 2024 postseason, but another foray into the middle infield role was supposed to go well with all offseason going into the preparation for it.

However, before he gets to do that, he needs to get back into good health so as to show his Gold Glove stuff in the infield.