Betts set to return to infield for Dodgers in ’25

SAN ANTONIO — Eight-time All-Star Mookie Betts is likely to move back to the infield, manning second base or shortstop for the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025, general manager Brandon Gomes said Wednesday.

“It could be second, it could be short. We don’t really know yet,” Gomes said from the annual GM meetings. “We need to continue to have those conversations. But I think it’s much more like, ‘Hey, Mookie’s looking to get back in the infield’ than anything else.

“I know the toll on the body is less in the infield for him. So you can make arguments on both sides of it. But the beauty of Mookie is it’s the most selfless superstar we’ve ever been around. And that permeates through the team.”

Betts, 32, spent the first 72 games of the 2024 season as the Dodgers’ shortstop after splitting time between second base and right field the previous season. With an acute need for outfield production this season, Los Angeles moved Betts back to right when he returned from a broken hand Aug. 12 after sitting out nearly two months.

Los Angeles could re-sign free agent outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who spent 2024 as its left fielder but is a natural right fielder, or it could pursue free agent star Juan Soto, though the team is likely to balk at a price tag expected to approach, if not exceed, $600 million.

Betts’ versatility aligns well with the Dodgers’ roster, which also includes Tommy Edman (who plays shortstop and center field), Gavin Lux (a second baseman who has also played shortstop and outfield) and utilityman Chris Taylor. The Dodgers also could venture into the free agent market for former Milwaukee shortstop Willy Adames.

“For Mookie, winning is always No. 1,” Gomes said, “so I just wouldn’t be surprised if he’s like, ‘Hey, this is the best thing. I’ll play wherever.’ I think catching is probably out of the realm of possibility, although I’m sure he would be good at that, as well.

“We’re always looking to improve the team, and the flexibility is something that’s helpful as we’re going out and looking for options on how to make the team better. I don’t think it’s a pressing need, but … if there’s an ability to add good players and that’s the best way to do it, certainly open to it.”

The timetable for the return of star two-way player Shohei Ohtani, who underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a torn labrum in his non-throwing left arm, is unclear, and Gomes said he was not certain Ohtani would be available to pitch on Opening Day in Tokyo on March 18. Ohtani, 30, is recovering from reconstructive right elbow surgery — the second time he has needed such a procedure — and did not pitch in 2024.

Ohtani tore his labrum and partially dislocated his shoulder sliding into second base on a stolen-base attempt during Game 2 of the World Series. Though he continued to play through the injury, Ohtani struggled in the series against the New York Yankees. He is expected to be ready for spring training, Gomes said, though his rehabilitation could affect the buildup to his offseason pitching plan.

“We’ll see how he gets through this phase and then take it each step by step because it’s complicated with somebody who’s also hitting,” Gomes said. “So we’re just going to make sure that we’re checking every box to make sure he’s in the best possible position health-wise, and whatever falls out of that smart, methodical process will be what it is.”

The Dodgers are expected to turn to a six-man rotation, with right-handers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, a pair of other pitchers coming off injuries — right-handers Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May — and left-hander Clayton Kershaw, a free agent who intends to play for Los Angeles in 2025.

“As always,” Gomes said, “Kersh is of the highest priority for us.”

Another top priority, Gomes said: signing manager Dave Roberts, whose contract expires after the 2025 season, to a long-term extension “as long as we can see out.”