Mookie Betts is off and running, having finally found his stride at the plate over the last week. He homered in three consecutive games heading into Sunday's series finale against the San Diego Padres.
What happened?
Mookie Betts had a simple answer when asked about his mentality when he steps into the batter's box: “Just hit it,” Betts said. “Just see the ball, and hit it.
He got off to a slow start this season, and suffered a bit of a setback when he suffered an oblique strain towards the beginning of the year. On Wednesday, he hit his 300th career home run against the Minnesota Twins.
Why it matters for Mookie Betts
His recent outburst brought his wRC+ up to 100—exactly league average. This season, Betts has 11 homers and 27 RBIs, well on pace to having a better season than his letdown 2025 campaign.
Prior to his recent hot streak, Betts struggled to get on base even when he made contact, and his underlying numbers show that. On the year, Betts has just a .216 batting average on balls in play, which is extraordinarily low among MLB players.
What comes next?
Betts will look to continue his hot streak on the road as the Dodgers travel to Sacramento to face off against the Athletics on Monday. The Dodgers are leading the division by the widest margin since they won the NL West in 2023.
Mookie Betts' return to form is huge for the Dodgers. His quality of contact is also down, as his barrel percentage sits just above league average and his hard hit rate sits in the 37th percentile. Through June 21, Betts had an 84 wRC+, and had an offensive rating of -3.7 according to FanGraphs.
The Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop has a .807 OPS in the month of June. Mookie Betts' straightforward approach is assisting his hot streak, and he will look to keep it going against the Athletics on Monday.