Dodgers Get Mookie Betts Back – Is He Still An Elite Player?

Eight-time All-Star Mookie Betts is back in the lineup for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But this return feels different.

After missing 32 games with an oblique strain, Betts is rejoining a Dodgers team that has suddenly cooled off—losing nine of its last 13 and slipping out of first place in the NL West.

The timing couldn’t be better.

The question is whether Betts can still be the player they need.

Last Season Raised Real Concerns

For the first time in years, Betts looked human.

A mysterious illness caused him to lose over 20 pounds early last season, and the effects lingered.

At 5-foot-9, that weight loss mattered.

The power dipped.
The consistency slipped.

And for a second straight season, the numbers told a different story:

• 39 home runs combined over two seasons
• .258 average in 2025
• 4.8 WAR after previously MVP-level production

That’s a clear step down from his peak.

Because before that?

Betts was dominant in Los Angeles:

• 2020: .292 AVG, 16 HR, .927 OPS (shortened season)
• 97 HR over the next three seasons
• 2023: 8.4 WAR, .987 OPS

That was MVP-level Betts.

This version is… different.

The Power May Be Declining – But The Value Isn’t Gone

Betts and the Dodgers are only at the halfway point of the 12-year, $365 million contract they signed in 2020.

Even with offensive regression, Betts remains one of the most valuable players in baseball.

Why?

Because he does everything.

• Multiple Gold Gloves across positions
• Elite versatility (OF, 2B, SS)
• 2024 Silver Slugger as a utility player
• Gold Glove finalist at shortstop in 2025

He’s not just filling a role.

He’s solving problems all over the field.

And for a Dodgers team chasing history, that matters just as much as power.