LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Mookie Betts returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup Monday night, five weeks after being .
The eight-time All-Star went 1 for 5 with a single and a strikeout hitting second behind and ahead of Freddie Freeman in in the series opener against the San Francisco Giants.
鈥淲e just have to make sure we swing at good pitches,鈥� Betts said before the game. 鈥淭hose guys are good, too. They drive nice cars, too. We just have to control the zone, swing at good pitches.鈥�
The Dodgers have dropped eight of their last 12 games and were looking for Betts to help jumpstart a stagnant offense. They have scored three runs or fewer in nine of those 12 games.
“I know I鈥檓 not the hero,鈥� said Betts, the 2018 AL MVP. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important for everyone to know it鈥檚 going to take all of us and not just one guy getting through their struggles or whatever it is.鈥�
Betts was batting .179 (5 for 28) with two home runs in eight games before he went on the injured list April 5 with a right oblique strain.
“I just didn鈥檛 really realize how long it takes for it to really heal,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 felt pretty good pretty fast actually. But just some of the movements I couldn鈥檛 do kind of lingered for a long time. I was trying to hurry but obviously the doctors were saying it just takes a month for it to heal.鈥�
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Betts would start at shortstop Monday and Tuesday before taking Wednesday off.
鈥淎fter seven days, six days, I think he鈥檚 going to want to be in there regularly, but we鈥檒l kind of see,鈥� Roberts said.
Betts was on a tear in spring training, hitting .357 with a .786 OPS in five games before briefly leaving the team for the birth of his third child. He cooled off the first two weeks of the regular season before getting hurt.
Roberts is taking a wait-and-see approach toward Betts’ offense. The 33-year-old shortstop was 2 for 5 in two minor league rehab games.
鈥淐ertainly two games of rehab, taking batting practice, a day of live at-bats, is not ideal,鈥� the manager said, 鈥渂ut I think with Mookie you just don鈥檛 know. The hope is that he can kind of hit the ground running.鈥�
With Betts’ return, infielder Alex Freeland was sent down to Triple-A Oklahoma City. He was hitting .235 with two homers and eight RBIs in 33 games.
The front office chose to keep second baseman Hyeseong Kim over Freeland.
鈥淲hat it came down to is Hyeseong has performed better,鈥� Roberts said.
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