The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to activate Mookie Betts from the 10-day injured list ahead of their upcoming series against the San Francisco Giants. Los Angeles has been without its star shortstop since April 5 with an oblique strain.
The Dodgers face a decision on which infielder they need to send down as the corresponding roster move. Their choices are Santiago Espinal, Hyeseong Kim, or Alex Freeland.
“We’ve got a tough decision,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic‘s Katie Woo after their 7-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on May 10. “All of the options, potentially for the corresponding move, these guys have done a great job and served a very good purpose for our club.”
Dodgers Tip Hand at Potential Mookie Betts Roster Move
The Dodgers may have tipped their hand on who will be bumped off the roster. Woo reports that the club has recently restructured Espinal’s contract.
When Los Angeles signed the former Blue Jays and Reds infielder, the deal included an advanced consent clause. That would allow the Dodgers to pay just a 45-day prorated amount of the $2.5 million before cutting ties.
That move was designed to give the team infield depth while Tommy Edman and Kike Hernandez recover from injury. Edman is recovering from surgery to remove loose bodies in his right ankle. Hernandez had surgery on his left elbow, but has started a rehab assignment over the weekend with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
According to Woo, the deadline has been extended, although the length is not specified. Hernandez is first eligible to be activated from the 60-day injured list on May 24. That’s 13 days from the time of this writing, so the deadline on Espinal might have been extended another two weeks.
That marks the second time this season that the Dodgers have chosen to keep Espinal on the roster. He made the Opening Day roster over Kim due to his ability to play both second and third base.
Espinal has been a seldom-used bench piece for the Dodgers. He’s only started seven games and owns a .188/.250/.188 slash on the season. He serves as a right-handed option at third base when Max Muncy needs to sit against a left-handed starter.
With Espinal unlikely to be bumped off the roster, that leaves just Kim and Freeland. Given recent performances, it’s more likely the latter will be optioned to Triple-A when Betts is activated from the injured list. Freeland is just hitting .235 with a .646 OPS in 2026.
Why Alex Freeland is the More Logical Choice
With Betts set to come off the injured list, it was already going to eat into Freeland’s playing time. The Dodgers can get by with a Kim and Miguel Rojas platoon at second base.
Since Freeland will see fewer opportunities at the major league level, it makes sense to get him everyday at-bats in Triple-A instead. It can be tough for a young player to sit on the bench, not knowing when his next start is. That’s where Espinal’s value to the club comes in.
The Dodgers’ infield situation will become more crowded once Edman and Hernandez are back. More tough decisions will be ahead, as the club aims to complete the first championship three-peat since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees.
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