Mookie Betts Is Back Tonight and the Dodgers Need Him Against a Giants Team That Just Got Torched

Six games on the slate Monday night, and the biggest story is Mookie Betts returning to the Dodgers lineup after five weeks on the shelf. The man is expected to slot right back in at shortstop and bat second against the Giants at 10:10 p.m. ET, and honestly, LA cannot afford to wait any longer. They're sitting at 4-7 right now, which is rough when you're the defending World Series champs.

Betts Ready to Jump Back In

Five weeks is a long time to be out with a strained right oblique. Betts took a quick two-game rehab assignment to knock the rust off, and now he's ready to go. The Giants are sending Trevor McDonald to the mound, a kid filling in for Logan Webb while he recovers on the 15-day IL. McDonald looked solid in his first start, throwing seven innings of one-run ball against the Padres, striking out eight with zero walks. Problem is, he's running into a Dodgers team that just got smoked by Atlanta over the weekend, including a pair of 7-2 losses. Getting Betts back in the lineup might be exactly what LA needs to turn things around.

Angels Banking on Manoah's Comeback

Over in Cleveland, the first game of Monday's slate kicks off at 6:10 p.m. ET with the Guardians hosting the Angels. Expect low scoring with chilly temperatures and wind blowing in from center field at Progressive Field. The Angels are rolling out Alek Manoah as the primary pitcher, and this is a huge moment for the guy. Manoah hasn't appeared in the majors since 2024 after internal brace surgery ended his promising run with Toronto. The Angels are betting he can recapture some of his 2022 form, when he finished third in AL Cy Young voting. He gets limited chances here with Grayson Rodriguez solid in his first rehab effort yesterday.

Yankees Rotation About to Get Crowded

Ryan Weathers is back on the mound tonight for New York against Baltimore at Camden Yards after getting scratched last Thursday with illness. He threw a bullpen session over the weekend and got the green light from the Yankees. Despite being one of the top starters in the first quarter of the season, Weathers' time in the rotation could be ending soon. Gerrit Cole threw 77 pitches in his fifth rehab outing yesterday, and he's likely to need one or two more rehab starts as he works back from Tommy John surgery. When Cole returns, the Yankees are going to have the kind of problem every team dreams about: too many quality arms.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.