Mookie Betts Returns as Dodgers Game Today Brings Alex Freeland Move

Mookie Betts was reinstated by the Dodgers on May 11, and Alex Freeland was optioned to Triple-A as the corresponding move. The dodgers game today roster shift comes after Betts missed more than a month with a right oblique strain, restoring one of the lineup’s most established bats while forcing a cut from the active group.

Betts Returns on May 11

Betts landed on the 10-day injured list on April 5, then returned to Los Angeles on May 10 after two rehab games. He was expected to be activated the next day, and the club moved quickly to make it official.

The infielder had 32 plate appearances before the injury and produced a 99 wRC+ in that span. That is a smaller sample than his full season line, but it gave the Dodgers a limited look at his form before the oblique strain shut him down.

Dodgers Roster Pressure

The return also settled one part of a crowded infield picture. Hyeseong Kim had been working with the Dodgers during Betts’ absence, while Santiago Espinal and Alex Freeland were part of the roster conversation at second base. Freeland was the player sent to Triple-A on May 11.

Kim hit.301/.366/.411 over 82 plate appearances this season, while Espinal carried a.438 OPS over 34 plate appearances. Espinal’s contract included a reworked clause with a 45-day deadline, and that timeline pointed toward him staying on the active roster when Betts came back.

Dodgers NL West Position

The Dodgers entered the move at 24-15 and atop the NL West. Betts’ 2025 line of.258/.326/.406 with a 104 wRC+ over 150 games gives the club a proven regular back in the fold as it manages the roster around him.

For a team already leading the division, the practical change is simple: Betts is back, Freeland is out of the big-league mix for now, and the Dodgers can move forward with a more settled infield alignment after a month of shuffling.