Mookie Betts has been activated from the injured list and will start at shortstop for the Dodgers tonight against the Giants. He has been out since April 4 due to a right oblique strain.
Key points
Mookie Betts activated from injured list
Out since April 4 with right oblique strain
Starting at shortstop for Dodgers
Dodgers facing San Francisco Giants
Betts aims to help team focus on winning
Los Angeles DodgersSan Francisco GiantsMookie Betts
Is Mookie Betts playing tonight? Dodgers star activated from IL
The Los Angeles Dodgers are hoping to get a much-needed spark back in the lineup.
Mookie Betts, who has been out since April 4 with a right oblique strain, has been activated from the 10-day injured list and will start at shortstop and bat second in the order in the series opener against the San Francisco Giants on Monday, May 11, the Dodgers announced.
"I don't know if there's gonna be a jolt of energy or not," Betts told reporters in the dugout pregame. "I just know that I'm here, I wanna play and I wanna win. Hopefully that gets the guys going as far as focusing on the game and taking care of wining ball games, but we'll see. Only time will tell when it comes to that."
Rookie infielder Alex Freeland was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move.
The four-time World Series champion went on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City over the weekend in which he went 2-for-5 with a walk and played 11 innings in the field over two games. Entering May 8, manager Dave Roberts told reporters that Betts could come back as early as May 11 if he came away from both rehab games feeling well.
The current plan, according to Roberts is to ease Betts back into action. There isn't much opportunity built into the schedule to get Betts rested and recovered with the Dodgers playing 10 games in the next 10 days through May 20, so expect Roberts to give him some days off over that stretch. Right now, the current plan is for Betts to play two in a row before a planned off day on May 13.
"I think he's going to want to be in there regularly, but we'll kind of see," Roberts told reporters. "But this is more just based on the front-end progression."
The Dodgers are hoping that getting Betts back into the lineup will provide some production that has been missing as their offense has stalled to a collective .204 batting average over the last five days with a .658 OPS in that span.
Q&A
Is Mookie Betts back in the lineup for the Dodgers?
Yes, Mookie Betts has been activated from the injured list and will play tonight.
What injury kept Mookie Betts out of the game?
Mookie Betts was sidelined due to a right oblique strain.
Who are the Dodgers playing tonight?
The Dodgers are playing against the San Francisco Giants tonight.
What position will Mookie Betts play tonight?
Mookie Betts will start at shortstop in tonight's game.
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"I think that we certainly have enough talent to be better than we have," Roberts told reporters on Sunday. "But adding Mookieâs at-bat quality, I think, will certainly help. We just havenât been as consistent as a group as we should be, even without Mookie. But yeah, he certainly raises the floor."
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Starting pitcher Orel Hersheiser leaps into the arms of catcher Rick Dempsey and at right is first baseman Franklin Stubbs of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after beating the Oakland As in game 6 to win the World Series on Oct. 20, 1988 in Oakland, California.
Los Angeles Dodgers' Kirk Gibson celebrates his game-winning two run homer against the Oakland Athletics as he rounds the bases at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles during the first game of the World Series, in this Oct. 15, 1988 photo.
Dodgers manager Joe Torre (L) greets former manager Tommy Lasorda during pre-game activities at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before the MLB interleague exhibition baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox in Los Angeles March 29, 2008. Almost 115,000 people bought tickets to watch the Dodgers celebrate the 50th anniversary of their move
to Los Angeles, setting a U.S. baseball crowd record.
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Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani hits a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the seventh inning of game four of the NLCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium on Oct 17, 2025. Ohtani hit three home runs and pitched six scoreless innings in the Los Angeles DodgersĂ 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the NLCS in a historic achievement.
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From Trolleys to Tinseltown: Follow the Dodgersâ baseball run through the ages
Picher Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers winds up to throw a pitch against the Minnesota Twin in game 7 of the 1965 World Series, Oct.14, 1965 at Metropolitan Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. The Dodgers won the series 4 games to 3. Koufax was the series MVP and played for the Dodgers from 1955-66.
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Picher Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers winds up to throw a pitch against the Minnesota Twin in game 7 of the 1965 World Series, Oct.14, 1965 at Metropolitan Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. The Dodgers won the series 4 games to 3. Koufax was the series MVP and played for the Dodgers from 1955-66.
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Starting pitcher Orel Hersheiser leaps into the arms of catcher Rick Dempsey and at right is first baseman Franklin Stubbs of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after beating the Oakland As in game 6 to win the World Series on Oct. 20, 1988 in Oakland, California.
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Los Angeles Dodgers' Kirk Gibson celebrates his game-winning two run homer against the Oakland Athletics as he rounds the bases at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles during the first game of the World Series, in this Oct. 15, 1988 photo.
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Dodgers manager Joe Torre (L) greets former manager Tommy Lasorda during pre-game activities at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before the MLB interleague exhibition baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox in Los Angeles March 29, 2008. Almost 115,000 people bought tickets to watch the Dodgers celebrate the 50th anniversary of their move
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Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner celebrates with the Commissioner's Trophy after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays to win the World Series in game six of the 2020 World Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas on Oct 27, 2020.
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Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani hits a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the seventh inning of game four of the NLCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium on Oct 17, 2025. Ohtani hit three home runs and pitched six scoreless innings in the Los Angeles DodgersĂ 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the NLCS in a historic achievement.
Betts himself struggled to start the season, slashing .179/.281/.429 through eight games, but had finally broken through for his first multi-hit game of 2026 with a home run and two RBI on April 3, one day before he injured his oblique on a check swing.
But in his first game back in five weeks, the Gold Glove finalist isn't worried about trying to overcompensate or do too much.
"It's gonna take us all. It is what it is," Betts told reporters. "We're gonna go through our ups and our downs but it's important for everyone to know that it's gonna take all of us, and not just one guy getting through our struggles."
The Dodgers enter May 11 tied for first place in the NL West with the San Diego Padres after back-to-back losses to the Atlanta Braves on May 9-10.