Dodgers' Mookie Betts Dealing With 'Personal Things,' Could Miss Game vs Red Sox

MLB's schedule makers gave the Dodgers an off-day Thursday, a valuable breather in advance of a nine-game, three-city road trip through the Eastern time zone.

Mookie Betts might need more than a little breather.

“There might be some things going on that (Betts) might not be around, that he’s got to deal with personally,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Wednesday’s win against the Minnesota Twins. “Everything is OK with him, but yeah, we’ll see.”

Roberts did not elaborate on the reason for Betts' possible absence.

Betts has been an invaluable contributor to the Dodgers' defense in his first full season as a shortstop — a remarkable feat for the eight-time All-Star at age 32.

All of Betts' gains on defense have been overshadowed by his struggles on offense. He is hitting .172 with a .478 OPS over his last 30 games, and this week moved to the leadoff spot in response to his struggles. Since the change, Betts is 3-for-17 with two walks.

For the season, Betts has a .238 batting average, .309 on-base percentage and .370 slugging percentage.

The 2018 American League Most Valuable Player lost 20 pounds in the middle of spring training as a result of an illness. He said in May that he formed bad habits while trying to compensate for the sudden weight loss. Those bad habits — more than his first full season at a new position — are responsible for his poor batting numbers in 2025.

Betts has been dealing with his share of bad luck during his recent slump.

Since June 6, he has a .195 batting average on balls in play, the third-lowest mark on the team. But this is at least partially a function of the quality of his bat-to-ball contact, which has left Betts with a .257 expected weighted on base average during his dry spell — also the third-lowest mark on the team (per Statcast), ahead of only Hyeseong Kim and James Outman.

Roberts' comments Wednesday suggest Betts might be dealing with more than bad luck, bad contact, and the knockdown effects of his spring illness. He might be dealing with something off the field as well — something he might need more than one travel day to address.

Roberts already gave Betts a day off during their most recent homestand. Expect the manager to give the former MVP as much time off as he needs again.