The Dodgers still haven’t found a clean answer at the top of their order, and the No. 2 spot has become one of the more stubborn problems in the lineup.
Mookie Betts was one of several players to get a look there this season, but the results didn’t stick. Dave Roberts eventually moved Betts down to cleanup after the struggles, and the change was followed by the 33-year-old beginning to look more like himself at the plate. Roberts doesn’t sound eager to tinker again, even with Betts trending in the right direction.
“I like him where he’s at. To be honest, I could see him hitting four or five,” Roberts recently said.
Roberts said he can’t say for sure whether the move down in the order caused the turnaround, but he did note that the timing lined up.
“The truth is, once he did move down to four, he did get going,” Roberts began. “I don’t know the psychology behind it for him.
That’s a him question. But the facts are he started swinging better.”
If Betts is staying put, the Dodgers are still searching for a different fix at No. 2. Tommy Edman has emerged as a name worth considering after becoming one of the club’s most productive hitters since returning from the 60-day injured list on June 16.
Roberts pointed to how well Edman has handled both sides of the plate.
“Tommy’s swinging the bat really well from both sides of the plate. Typically, he’s much better versus left-handed pitching, but right now, he’s really been pretty neutral and taking good at-bats versus both,” Roberts said.
He didn’t stop there, either.
“So, yeah, it’s interesting. It’s certainly interesting, and he takes good at-bats.
You know what you’re going to get from him. So, I thought about it.
Toyed with it.”
The issue at No. 2 hasn’t belonged to one player alone. The Dodgers have cycled through Kyle Tucker, Andy Pages, Freddie Freeman and Betts in that spot, and each has come up short relative to expectations.
Roberts has even floated a broader explanation, suggesting Shohei Ohtani’s presence in the leadoff spot might be part of why hitters behind him have pressed.
Edman, meanwhile, has his own explanation for why things have clicked since he returned from offseason right ankle surgery. He said his switch-hitting success has been tied to being healthy and keeping a steady routine over the last month, along with other factors.
For now, though, the Dodgers have not made a change. Pages has continued to get the bulk of the starts in the No. 2 spot, leaving Edman as a possible solution rather than a confirmed one.
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