Catcher Will Smith moves up to second for the Dodgers and second baseman Mookie Betts slides three holes amid an unproductive stretch in the Fall Classic, the team announced ahead of Game 5 on Wednesday (Sportsnet, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT).
“I feel like this is the best way to win today's game,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Both players have been warned and both players are on board. It was a decision I made.”
Betts struggled against the Blue Jays, batting just .158 with a .431 OPS in 19 plate appearances. He scored only one run and went without an RBI in four games.
He hasn't hit a three-run homer for the Dodgers since 2021. It's also the first time this postseason that the 33-year-old former MVP will hit beyond two holes.
“I think post-season you have to be a little more proactive than you were in the regular season,” Roberts said of the decision to waive Betts.
Smith, meanwhile, was a constant presence in the cleanup spot for most of the series, batting .235 with a .762 OPS, one home run and four RBIs. His homer won the Dodgers' Game 2, hitting Kevin Gausman's single in the seventh inning.
In his final outing against Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage in Game 1, both Betts and Smith managed one hit each.
In addition to moving to the top of the lineup, the Dodgers will also take center fielder Andy Pages out of the nine hole in favor of Alex Call.
“Obviously, bringing Alex in there, I felt at the bottom, just the quality of play, the vision of the pitches, the potential to get someone on base for Shohei at the top,” Roberts said of the decision to call up the 31-year-old.
Pages, an above-average defender in center field, struggled at the plate, amassing just one hit in 15 appearances. In the move, Kiké Hernandez will move to the center of the field, while Coll will take his place on the left.
Call, although he also only has one hit, earned his only base hit in five appearances. He batted .267 with a .746 OPS in the regular season.
