logo
Dave Roberts gives Mookie Betts a day off as season-long slump continues

Dave Roberts gives Mookie Betts a day off as season-long slump continues

It took just one game coming out of the All-Star break for Dave Roberts to know Mookie Betts still wasn't right.
A week ago, Roberts was hopeful that Betts — coming off his first missed All-Star Game in a decade — would return from the break refocused and rejuvenated; ready to snap out of a career-worst start to his season and rediscover a swing that has eluded him for much of the campaign.
Instead, in the Dodgers' second-half opener Friday night, Betts went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. His batting average dipped to .241 (more than 20 points worse than he has ever posted in a full season) while his OPS fell to .688 (the worst it has been all year). And, as has been the case for most of the summer, his signs of frustration were abundantly clear, with the 32-year-old looking lost at the plate.
Thus, when Roberts set his team's lineup for Saturday, the manager made a surprise decision to leave Betts out of it, giving his superstar shortstop an unplanned day off after calling Betts on Saturday morning to discuss the state of his game.
'Talking to him, seeing where his head is at, seeing where he's at mechanically, I just thought tonight was a night where I felt he needed to be down,' Roberts said hours later, ahead of the Dodgers' game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
'He was more than willing and wanted to be out there. But for me, I wanted to take it out of his hands [so he could] have a day. I've talked about this before, just having players watch a baseball game. And I understand we just had four days off at the break. But still showing up at the ballpark, and not participating, watching, that's a different mindset, psyche than being at home. So for him to come here, show up, not play, know he's not going to play, I feel good about the work he's going to put in today. Also, I think, for the mind it will be beneficial.'
Betts did not talk to reporters Saturday, but did go through his normal set of pregame infield drills at shortstop — further confirming that, indeed, his absence from the lineup had nothing to do with any sort of injury-related issue.
While Roberts said his 'expectation' is that Betts will be back in action Sunday, he left the door open to giving Betts another day off for the series finale.
'It's going to be a day-to-day thing,' Roberts said. 'It's going to be my decision on how I feel he is mentally to take on that night's starter.'
There was no specific moment from Friday's game that convinced Roberts such a break was warranted. Instead, it was the fact that so little had seemingly changed from where Betts was before the All-Star break, when he reached the midway mark in a three-for-24 slump and batting just .185 over his previous 31 games.
'He's not used to struggling like this,' Roberts said of Betts, who also has only 11 home runs and a .377 slugging percentage. 'There's a part of it where you feel like you're letting people down, letting the team down. That weight that is just natural for him to carry is there. That's a little bit from last night, just seeing him.'
Betts has struggled to identify the cause of his decline — one so stark, he has a below-league-average mark of 95 in the all-encompassing OPS+ metric (effectively meaning he has been 5% less productive than a league average hitter).
In an interview before Friday's game, he said he has cycled through various 'feels' with his swing in hopes of getting his mechanics realigned. Hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc pointed to inefficiencies in the way Betts 'loads' his arms and hands, which he believes have impacted the slugger's bat path and swing sequence.
'There's no exact [fix], where you can do this, this and this,' Van Scoyoc said, 'because he has to find something for him that works organically that gets him lined up.'
To that end, Roberts' hope is that Saturday's day off will help.
That is comes just two days into the second half signals how urgent Betts' struggles have become.
'He understood,' Roberts said. 'He's a guy that wants to be out there every single day. But I think he understood that it was my decision and I think it's best for him, I think it's best for our ballclub. He'll be ready when called upon.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Carlos Narváez's 11th-inning 2-run homer lifts Red Sox over Phillies 9-8
Carlos Narváez's 11th-inning 2-run homer lifts Red Sox over Phillies 9-8

Fox Sports

time22 minutes ago

  • Fox Sports

Carlos Narváez's 11th-inning 2-run homer lifts Red Sox over Phillies 9-8

Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Carlos Narvaez hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning, Romy Gonzalez hit a grand slam in the fifth and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 9-8 on Wednesday night. Narváez, who was called for a catcher's interference in each of the first two games of the series, hit a 97 mph fastball from Seth Johnson (1-1) into the front row of the left field seats. Jesus Luzardo didn't allow a hit until a leadoff double to Masataka Yoshida to start the fifth. Greg Weissert (3-3) earned the win, and Brennan Bernardino picked up his first save. Philadelphia scored all of their runs prior to extra innings via the long ball. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper hit back-to-back homers in the first inning. Schwarber's homer was his 34th this season and fourth in six games since the All-Star break. Harper launched his homer into the second deck in right field. It was his 14th of the season and 350th of his career. Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott also hit solo homers for the Phillies to build Philadelphia's 5-0 lead. J.T. Realmuto added a solo shot in the eighth to force extra innings. Schwarber and Johan Rojas added RBI singles in extras. Key moment Boston's big inning almost didn't happen as Rob Refsnyder popped a ball straight up behind the plate with two outs. Realmuto never saw it and it fell harmlessly to the ground. All six runs scored after that misplay. Key stat Realmuto's homer off Aroldis Chapman in the bottom of the eighth was his first home run off a left-handed pitcher since Sept. 20. Up next The Red Sox will start RHP Brayan Bello (6-4, 3.23 ERA) against Dodgers RHP Emmet Sheehan (1-1, 4.41) Friday. RHP Taijuan Walker (3-5, 3.75) will start for Philadelphia on Friday against Yankees RHP Will Warren (6-5, 4.91). ___ AP MLB: recommended Item 1 of 3

Lucas Giolito sounds off to Rob Manfred about sports betting
Lucas Giolito sounds off to Rob Manfred about sports betting

New York Post

time22 minutes ago

  • New York Post

Lucas Giolito sounds off to Rob Manfred about sports betting

Pitchers aren't just facing batters anymore — they're facing bettors, too. Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito said he's concerned about player safety in the wake of the sports betting boom, taking his issues straight to the game's highest office: MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. The 31-year-old revealed on the 'Baseball Isn't Boring' podcast on Monday that he talked to Manfred earlier this week when he visited the Red Sox and Phillies at Citizens Bank Park ahead of their three-game series. 4 Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito said he spoke with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred about the uptick in online threats toward players in the wake of the sports betting boom. Getty Images 'I asked him about something that has been on my mind this year that's been a little worrisome for me with the rise of sports betting — the access that exists now with social media and everything,' Giolito said. 'The threats when a player doesn't perform well — threats to their family, threats to their life — it's getting very tiring. I worry for guys that are maybe new to the league and aren't ready for something like that.' Gioltio started Boston's Wednesday night tilt against the Phillies, allowing five earned runs and striking out two batters over four innings as the Red Sox won, 9-8, in extra innings. The 2019 All-Star, who is in his first season with Boston after missing all of 2024 due to elbow surgery, has had an up-and-down season. The uneven on-field results — and even some strong outings — have sparked hate from bettors who lost money on missed prop bets like strikeout totals. 'When it comes to the gambling, it obviously has created an uptick in insane people online — well, not insane, just disgruntled,' Giolito said, adding that even his girlfriend has been subjected to 'a lot of nasty s–t' online from angry bettors. 4 Lucas Giolito allowed five earned runs over four innings in the Red Sox's 9-8 win over the Phillies on July 23, 2025. Getty Images 'I'm getting messages after every game, even games where I pitch well, where they're made at me because I hit the strikeout over instead of being under, or I was under instead of being over like prop bets – all these crazy things. And people put hundreds of dollars on it and they don't have a lot of money, but they're gambling it anyways because it's a disease. They freak out.' Last year, Manfred said MLB didn't enter the sports betting world by choice. 'We were kind of dragged into legalized sports betting as a litigant in a case that ended up in the Supreme Court,' he said in 2024, referring to the 2018 case that led to the legalization of sports wagering across the country. 'Having said that, I recognize — probably better today than when we were involved in that litigation — that one of the advantages of legalization is it's a heck of a lot easier to monitor what's going on than it is with an illegal operation,' Manfred added. 4 Lucas Giolito said he enjoyed speaking with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and that getting to dialogue with 'face-to-face time and ask questions is always good.' Getty Images Giolito is not the only MLB player to voice concerns over sports betting. Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and his family received death threats in May after a game in which he allowed seven runs. 'I understand people are very passionate and people love the Astros and love sports, but threatening to find my kids and murder them is a little bit tough to deal with,' the 31-year-old right-hander said. McCullers hired 24-hour security after the threats, and detailed a heart-wrenching conversation he had with his daughter about the ordeal. 'She asked me when I came home: 'Daddy like what is threats? Who wants to hurt us? Who wants to hurt me?'' McCullers told The Associated Press. 'So, those conversations are tough to deal with.' 4 Lance McCullers and his family were subjected to vile social media threats after a tough start, which were later revealed to have come from a 'resident overseas.' AP Other notable stars, including Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich and veteran Red Sox reliever Liam Hendriks, also spoke about the increased vitriol and threats, with the former noting it's become a 'nightly thing.' Other players said they've started avoiding social media altogether, including Tigers outfielder Riley Greene, who said he deleted his Instagram. 'I'm off it. It sucks, but it's the world we live in, and we can't do anything about it,' Greene said. In McCullers' case, the person who directed threats at him and his family was identified as a 'resident overseas' who had been 'inebriated' when they sent the social media threats, a Houston Police Department spokesperson told The Athletic. But Giolito believes that acknowledging the issue isn't enough. 'It only goes so far,' Giolito said. 'Is it going to take a player getting assaulted in front of their apartment building by some disgruntled guy that lost a bet for real action to be taken?'

Carlos Narváez's 11-inning 2-run homer lifts Red Sox over Phillies 9-8
Carlos Narváez's 11-inning 2-run homer lifts Red Sox over Phillies 9-8

Fox Sports

time22 minutes ago

  • Fox Sports

Carlos Narváez's 11-inning 2-run homer lifts Red Sox over Phillies 9-8

Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Carlos Narvaez hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning, Romy Gonzalez hit a grand slam in the fifth and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 9-8 on Wednesday night. Narváez, who was called for a catcher's interference in each of the first two games of the series, hit a 97 mph fastball from Seth Johnson (1-1) into the front row of the left field seats. Jesus Luzardo didn't allow a hit until a leadoff double to Masataka Yoshida to start the fifth. Greg Weissert (3-3) earned the win, and Brennan Bernardino picked up his first save. Philadelphia scored all of their runs prior to extra innings via the long ball. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper hit back-to-back homers in the first inning. Schwarber's homer was his 34th this season and fourth in six games since the All-Star break. Harper launched his homer into the second deck in right field. It was his 14th of the season and 350th of his career. Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott also hit solo homers for the Phillies to build Philadelphia's 5-0 lead. J.T. Realmuto added a solo shot in the eighth to force extra innings. Schwarber and Johan Rojas added RBI singles in extras. Key moment Boston's big inning almost didn't happen as Rob Refsnyder popped a ball straight up behind the plate with two outs. Realmuto never saw it and it fell harmlessly to the ground. All six runs scored after that misplay. Key stat Realmuto's homer off Aroldis Chapman in the bottom of the eighth was his first home run off a left-handed pitcher since Sept. 20. Up next The Red Sox will start RHP Brayan Bello (6-4, 3.23 ERA) against Dodgers RHP Emmet Sheehan (1-1, 4.41) Friday. RHP Taijuan Walker (3-5, 3.75) will start for Philadelphia on Friday against Yankees RHP Will Warren (6-5, 4.91). ___ AP MLB: recommended Item 1 of 3

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store