Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that he's leaning towards using Betts as the team's No. 3 hitter against both right- and left-handed pitching in 2026, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani will continue to serve as the club's leadoff hitter during the upcoming season, but Roberts has yet to decide who will bat second and fourth in the Dodgers' star-studded lineup. The 33-year-old Betts primarily served as the Dodgers' No. 2 hitter in 2025, so the move down one spot in the order shouldn't dramatically affect his fantasy value. Instead, the bigger question is whether he can halt or potentially reverse the decline at the plate and as a baserunner he displayed in 2025; Betts' .258 average and .148 ISO were the lowest marks of his career, and his eight stolen bases were his fewest since his 2014 rookie campaign, when he played just 52 games.

Betts said Saturday that he's spent the offseason "rewiring" his body after falling into bad habits during a down season offensively in 2025, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Betts' .318 wOBA last season was easily the worst of his career. The cause of his regression at the plate, Betts believes, was twofold: the preparation for becoming a full-time shortstop threw off his normal routine, and an early-season stomach virus that caused him to lose 20 pounds sapped his strength and led to bad habits. Betts said he's now "in a really good spot" as he looks to bounce back in 2026 in his age-33 campaign. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated over the weekend that "you could certainly see" Betts batting third this season behind Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Tucker, though nothing is set in stone yet in regard to the lineup.

Betts said on the "What Drives You with John Cena" podcast that he will retire when he contract runs out following the 2032 season, Brent Maguire of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Betts will be 40 years old following the conclusion of his 12-year, $365 million contract, so it's unsurprising to hear he plans to hang up his cleats at that point. The 33-year-old is coming off a down 2025 campaign offensively, having slashed .258/.326/.406 with 20 home runs over 150 regular-season contests. However, Betts thrived defensively in his first season as a full-time shortstop, finishing with a plus-6 Outs Above Average, per Baseball Savant.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Betts will remain at shortstop next season, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

The news comes as no surprise after Betts earned a plus-6 in Outs Above Average in 2025 in his first season as a full-time shortstop. Betts played just one inning in right field in 2025, so he will enter the 2026 campaign with only shortstop eligibility in fantasy leagues.

Betts went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a walk in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Phillies on Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

The matchup was a pitcher's duel between Cristopher Sanchez and Tyler Glasnow, and Betts had one of the most important at-bats of the low-scoring affair. He came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh inning, when he worked a walk to tie the game at 1-1. While Betts had a subpar regular season relative to his lofty standards, he's gone 10-for-26 with four RBI across six postseason contests.

Betts went 4-for-5 with three doubles, three RBI and one run scored in Wednesday's win over the Reds in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series.

EDGE Analysis

Betts helped lift Los Angeles to the NLDS with his seven total bases Wednesday and six hits across the two-game set. His .732 OPS during the regular season was by far the worst mark of his career, but the 32-year-old can still make a big impact on any given night. Betts is chasing his fourth World Series title and third with the Dodgers.

Betts is not in the Dodgers' starting lineup against the Mariners on Friday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Betts will join Freddie Freeman, Tommy Edman and Max Muncy on the bench for Friday's series opener after the Dodgers clinched in the NL West with an 8-0 win over the Diamondbacks on Thursday. Hyeseong Kim will start at shortstop and bat fifth.

Betts went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-3 win over the Giants.

EDGE Analysis

Betts stalled out with a month-long power drought from July 6 to Aug. 6, but he was able to turn things around in a big way. He reached the 20-homer mark Friday after missing that plateau last year. He's smacked six long balls and supplied 19 RBI over his last 15 contests, a span in which he's hitting a stellar .339 (21-for-62). Overall, Betts has a .260/.328/.413 slash line with 79 RBI, 93 runs scored, 22 doubles, two triples and eight stolen bases over 143 games.

Betts went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and two additional RBI in Monday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Phillies.

EDGE Analysis

Betts had no trouble getting the ball in the air Monday, supplying sacrifice flies in the third and fifth innings before getting one to go over the fence for a solo shot in the seventh. He is batting .381 (21-for-55) with five homers and 19 RBI over 13 games in September, numbers more in line with the level of production expected of a star player. He's up to a .263/.331/.415 slash line on the year while adding 19 homers, 78 RBI, 92 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 22 doubles and two triples through 139 contests. While his progress lately has been encouraging, he's still tracking toward an OPS under .800 for the first time in his career.

Betts went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double in Tuesday's 7-2 win over the Rockies.

EDGE Analysis

Betts has turned his season around in a big way, hitting safely in 12 of his last 15 games. Seven of those have been multi-hit efforts, giving him a .345 average over that span. He's also swatted four homers during the hot stretch, putting him at 17 long balls on the year. Betts has added a .255/.324/.397 slash line with 69 RBI, 85 runs scored, 20 doubles, two triples and eight stolen bases through 134 contests.