LOS ANGELES -- After returning a two-time Cy Young Award winner to their rotation over the weekend, the Dodgers are getting an MVP back in their lineup.
Shortstop Mookie Betts is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list and be in the starting lineup for Monday night's series opener against the Giants at Dodger Stadium. Betts is the second Dodgers star to get healthy in the past few days, as left-hander Blake Snell made his season debut on Saturday.
Five weeks after Betts landed on the IL with a strained right oblique, the Dodgers will get their starting shortstop back. Betts went 2-for-5 with a walk and played 11 innings in the field in two rehab games with Triple-A Oklahoma City. That was all he needed to test his oblique and prepare for big league action.
Over the past few weeks, the Dodgers' offense has been inconsistent. The hope is that returning Betts to the lineup can help the team get back on track.
"I think that we certainly have enough talent to be better than we have," manager Dave Roberts said Sunday. "But adding Mookie’s at-bat quality, I think, will certainly help. We just haven’t been as consistent as a group as we should be, even without Mookie. But yeah, he certainly raises the floor."
Here are a few key things to know about Betts' return:
What's the corresponding move to activate Betts?
This will likely be between Alex Freeland and Hyeseong Kim. Santiago Espinal could also potentially be the corresponding move, but he is out of Minor League options and would appear more likely to stay with the Dodgers until Kiké Hernández is eligible to be activated from the 60-day IL on May 24.
Both Freeland and Kim have made compelling cases to remain in the big leagues. Freeland made the Opening Day roster over Kim and started slow, but he's rounded into form lately, slashing .302/.400/.419 in 15 games entering Sunday. Kim, who was called up when Betts went on the IL, has been more consistent, slashing .301/.366/.411 through his first 28 games.
In addition to performance, the Dodgers will also consider the needs of the players involved. Kim or Freeland should have everyday playing opportunities in Triple-A, whereas whoever stays would likely split time with Miguel Rojas at second base while occasionally spelling Betts at shortstop.
Where will Betts hit in the lineup?
Before being sidelined, Betts was the Dodgers' three-hole hitter. But the team has made changes to the top of the order since then, moving Kyle Tucker down to cleanup and shifting Freddie Freeman up to the second spot. Will Smith has been hitting third.
Before those changes were made, Roberts had been considering slotting Betts in either the third or the fifth spot. Now, a move back to the No. 2 position -- where he primarily hit last year -- could also be in play.
Betts hitting second would allow the Dodgers to alternate lefties and righties atop the lineup, which the team typically likes to do. They could also consider batting him third against right-handed starters and moving him up to second vs. left-handers to stack more righty bats in the top half of the order.
How will the Dodgers manage Betts' workload?
Betts went nearly five weeks without playing in a game, and he only played two rehab games. Accordingly, he'll be eased back into everyday action.
The Dodgers don't have a day off until May 21, so the schedule doesn't allow for any built-in rest early on. The initial plan is for Betts to play on Monday and Tuesday before a planned day off on Wednesday, and then potentially play in two of the next three games, as well.