Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts is off and running, having finally found his stride at the plate over the last week.
He had homered in three consecutive games heading into Sunday’s series finale against the San Diego Padres—including the 300th of his career against the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday—and while he didn’t keep his streak going, he still knocked in two runs, which ultimately made the difference for the Dodgers. Over the past four games, Betts’ OPS has risen from .666 to .737.
When asked about his mentality when he steps into the batter’s box, though, Betts had a simple answer.
“Just hit it,” Betts said. “Just see the ball, and hit it. …Now, I mean, it’s just really, really hard. So the less things I can think about, you want to focus on the ball.”
Betts got off to a slow start this season, and suffered a bit of a setback when he suffered an oblique strain towards the beginning of the year. He’s looked much better over the past several weeks, and has a .807 OPS in the month of June.
This season, Betts has 11 homers and 27 RBIs, well on pace to having a better season than his letdown 2025 campaign. His recent outburst brought his wRC+ up to 100—exactly league average.
How Bad Was Mookie Betts’ Slump Before He Broke Out of It?
Prior to his recent hot streak, Betts struggled to get on base even when he made contact, and his underlying numbers show that. On the year, Betts has just a .216 batting average on balls in play, which is extraordinarily low among MLB players.
His quality of contact is also down, as his barrel percentage sits just above league average and his hard hit rate sits in the 37th percentile.
Through June 21, Betts had an 84 wRC+, and had an offensive rating of -3.7 according to FanGraphs. Betts’ return to form is huge for the Dodgers, who are leading the division by the widest margin since they won the NL West in 2023.
Betts will look to continue his hot streak on the road as the Dodgers travel to Sacramento to face off against the Athletics on Monday.
What have you thought about Mookie Betts’ resurgence?
