Dodgers Get Huge NL West Boost With Mookie Betts Set to Return

The Los Angeles Dodgers are 24-15 on the season and are nowhere near as good as they can be.

On Saturday, the Dodgers took a step towards being whole as a roster with two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell making his season debut. Snell struggled in three innings, but this is a guy who had a 2.35 ERA in 11 starts last season and has a 3.17 career ERA. He's going to be fine in the long run and take the Dodgers' rotation to a higher level.

Snell's return should be enough to scare other teams in the division — and National League in general — but he's not all. Eight-time All-Star and former Most Valuable Player Mookie Betts is expected to return to the lineup on Monday for the first time since April 4, per Katie Woo of The Athletic.

"Dave Roberts said postgame he expects Mookie Betts to be in the starting lineup Monday," Woo wrote.

Mookie Betts Is On His Way Back

Apr 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) looks on from the dugout steps during the game against the Texas Rangers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Dodgers are loaded with superstar talent all over the place, but there are few players in the league in general better than Betts when he is healthy and at his best. Last season, he slashed .258/.326/.406 with 20 homers, 82 RBIs, eight stolen bases, and 23 doubles in 150 games played. For him, that was somewhat of a down season. In 2024, he slashed .289/.372/.491 with 19 homers, 75 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, and 24 doubles in 116 games played. That season, he also won his sixth Gold Glove Award and finished 13th in the National League MVP Race. In 2023, he finished second in the NL MVP race.

Betts is a game-changer of a player and now a team that already is nine games above .500 should get him back into the mix. The San Diego Padres are in second place in the division at 23-16. They are just one game behind the Dodgers, but with Snell back and Betts about to be back, everyone else is playing for second place in the division. Los Angeles has weathered a storm with multiple high-end injuries and yet it is at the top of the NL West standings. No one will catch the Dodgers. The Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs are in first place in general in the National League with 27-13 records. Soon enough, the Dodgers will likely catch them as well.

Los Angeles is inevitable with Betts coming back.

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