Why Mookie Betts in right field always made the most sense for Dodgers

As it turns out, the Dodgers' most rational defensive configuration is with their six-time Gold Glove Award-winning outfielder playing in the outfield. 

Early last week, Betts was still taking grounders in preparation for his impending return from the injured list. As recently as last Tuesday, manager Dave Roberts said that the Dodgers planned to keep Mookie Betts at shortstop. 

Three days later, however, those plans changed. 

The shortstop experiment, for the foreseeable future, is over. 

On Friday, Roberts announced that the Dodgers would be bumping Betts back out to right field for the first time this year when the superstar returns from his two-month IL stint tonight in Milwaukee. He will play exclusively in the outfield again. 

The decision, which Betts described as "kind of a mutual thing," was divulged after Roberts and Betts had a conversation Thursday night. 

"To be quite honest, we talk every day about it," Roberts said. "It wasn't about, ‘Hey, something happened,' and, ‘Hey, this is what we need to do now.' This is kind of essentially reading the room, me and him talking. That's part of my job, is to kind of get a feel for where he's at and where the ballclub is at, and this is something that we both feel, the organization as well, this is the best thing for the Dodgers in 2024."

As much as Betts enjoys playing the infield, and as commendably competent as the 31-year-old has been at shortstop — a position he had not played regularly since high school — this always seemed like the most logical move, and one that was bound to happen at some point. 

"Ultimately, I think we're getting to the place where I think many of us felt we were going to get to," Roberts said. "So, I don't think it was a bad decision by us,