Dodgers' Dave Roberts Hints at Difficult Conversations With Mookie Betts Returning

The Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to get star shortstop Mookie Betts back from injury on Monday, giving the team a major boost. Betts has been out for a little over a month while recovering from an oblique injury, and officially began his rehab assignment on Friday.

Betts played two games at Triple-A, going 2-for-5 with two singles. He's now expected to return to Los Angeles on Sunday before officially rejoining the team on Monday.

With Betts returning, the Dodgers will have to clear a spot for him on the roster. And this isn't going to be an easy decision, especially with so many players performing well this season.

“Yeah, we’re gonna have some hard [roster] conversations,” manager Dave Roberts said recently. “And as we’ve seen, things can change quickly. We’ll be prepared, though.”

Adding Betts to the roster will help this Dodgers team both on offense and defense, giving LA one of its key catalysts back. But who the team removes from the roster is going to be the big question around the organization.

One option is Hyeseong Kim, who replaced Betts after his injury. However, the young infielder has been excellent for the Dodgers, and has done nothing to warrant a return to the minor leagues.

Roberts has praised Kim on multiple occasions, and he has made the most of the opportunity that Los Angeles has given him.

Alex Freeland would also be an option to be sent down to the minors, but he started the year on the Opening Day roster over Kim. It seems unlikely that Los Angeles would make this move, but it's always a possibility.

Overall, Freeland has played in 32 games, hitting .245 with two home runs, eight runs batted in and an OPS of .672. In comparison, Kim has hit .301 with one home run, eight runs batted in and an OPS of .777 across 298 games.

Kim has outplayed Freeland this season, and the Dodgers have been very happy with his overall progression. But with Betts' return coming, a move will need to be made.

If the Dogders decide to not option Kim or Freeland, the only other obvious move would be designating Santiago Espinal for assignment. With Espinal unable to be optioned, though, the Dodgers would risk losing him from the organization — whereas Kim and Freeland would just need to spend time in Triple-A.

It appears the Dodgers will have to make this decision on Monday. It's going to be one of the biggest decisions the Dodgers have had to make at this point in the season.

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