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Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is shaking up the middle infield ahead of the upcoming season, moving Mookie Betts to shortstop. Betts was expected to take the bulk of the second base duties this year but will move to the left side of the infield.
Gavin Lux will start at second base while Betts transitions to shortstop. Roberts stated that the move will be "permanent, for now." It will be interesting to see how Betts handles the change.
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Lux has had some trouble this spring, leaving Dave Roberts worried. He missed the entire season last year after tearing his ACL in the spring and came into camp with some accuracy issues.
While Betts is an insane talent, there are some questions about him being a full-time shortstop. It was not until last season that he played in the infield regularly.
"'Permanent, for now' Huh? Senseless word salad from DR as usual" one fan posted.
"This should be interesting" another fan posted.
Betts has started 12 games at shortstop in his career. During that time, he made three errors, but that is a small sample size.
Dave Roberts wants to keep Gavin Lux in the Dodgers' lineup by moving Mookie Betts to shortstop
Mookie Betts handled second base well last season. He finished the year with a Defensive Runs Saved of +6. However, shortstop is a whole different beast.
Betts will be joined by Max Muncy, who is set to take the majority of the reps at third base this year. Muncy is not regarded as the best defender in the game, and Betts may have to cover more ground than most.
Dave Roberts stated that Betts could slide back to second base on the days that Lux is given a day off. The Dodgers view Lux as a key part of their batting order. During the 2022 season, Lux had his most productive season at the plate. Across 129 games, he hit .276./.346/.399 with 20 doubles, seven triples, and six home runs.
It will be interesting to see how well Betts transitions to shortstop. While he has some experience at the position, he does not have much. Despite this, he is one of the best players in the game, and it would not surprise many if he handled the position change well.
