Mookie Betts Begins Rehab Assignment with Oklahoma City Comets

Mookie Betts is officially on the road to recovery, kicking off a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City. The team announced that Betts will take the field for the Comets on both Friday and Saturday, marking a significant step as he approaches the five-week mark since straining his right oblique.

Joining Betts in Oklahoma City is Kiké Hernández, who has already seen action in two games, playing five innings at third base on both Tuesday and Thursday. Hernández is currently on the 60-day injured list and cannot be activated until May 24 at the earliest, suggesting his rehab will span a bit longer than Betts’.

While Hernández’s timeline is more extended, Betts appears poised for a quicker return, health permitting. In a previous stint in 2024, he missed two months after breaking his hand and did not play any rehab games before being activated. Remarkably, Betts hasn’t participated in a minor league game since August 9, 2015, when he played one game for the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs while on the injured list with the Boston Red Sox.

The Dodgers have taken a cautious approach with Betts’ recovery, adjusting drills and batting practice based on how his oblique responds. His readiness to participate in rehab games indicates he may have turned a corner. “There’s no magic formula to this,” Betts remarked at Dodger Stadium last week. “You can do as much rehab as you want. Obliques just take time; it’s always four to six weeks, no matter however you want to twist it. We’re close, and after that, it’s going to get a lot better.”

In Betts’ absence, Hyeseong Kim has stepped up, starting 22 games at shortstop, while Miguel Rojas has started seven times. Alex Freeland has solidified his role at second base, starting 29 of 37 games this season, with Rojas and Santiago Espinal also contributing in that position. As Betts nears activation, the Dodgers will need to make a roster move, and with Hernández also on the horizon for return, decisions loom.

Freeland and Kim are both options to be sent back to the minors, but Espinal, who has started three times at third base and has over five years of service time, cannot be optioned without his consent. This means he would need to be designated for assignment if the team decides to make a move. The question remains: which Dodgers player will be removed from the active roster when Mookie Betts makes his anticipated return from the injured list?

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.