Betts to start rehab stint, could return to LA early next week
This browser does not support the video element.
Mookie Betts could be nearing a return to the Dodgers lineup.
Betts, who has been on the 10-day IL since April 6 with a right oblique strain, is scheduled to play for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday and Saturday against Salt Lake.
Based on the timeline that the Dodgers have shared, the rehab assignment could be short. The organization will evaluate how Betts feels on Sunday, and if all goes well, he could rejoin the Dodgers on Monday for the start of their three-game series with the Giants.
Betts originally injured himself while running the bases in L.A.’s win over the Nationals on April 4. He suffered an oblique strain that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts described as “more moderate than significant” while scoring from first base on a Freddie Freeman double.
Betts, 33, was off to a slow start at the plate, slashing .179/.281/.429 with a pair of home runs through his first eight games. The eight-time All-Star is eyeing a bounce-back season after posting a career-low .732 OPS in 2025.
The Dodgers opted for a platoon at shortstop in Betts’s absence, with Hyeseong Kim drawing the starts against right-handers and World Series hero Miguel Rojas filling in against left-handed pitching. Kim, who did not make the club’s Opening Day roster, has fared particularly well, hitting .314 with an .800 OPS.