Mookie Betts set to return from strained oblique when Dodgers open series against Giants on Monday

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mookie Betts is set to return after missing more than a month because of a right oblique strain when the Los Angeles Dodgers open a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants on Monday.

Betts hasn’t played since April 4, when he was hurt in a 10-5 win at the Washington Nationals. Manager Dave Roberts said he would have Betts hit second or third in the batting order though he was batting .179 with two home runs and seven RBIs in eight games before the injury.

Roberts did not say who would be sent down to free up a roster spot for Betts, a four-time World Series champion and the 2018 American League MVP. Hyeseong Kim, Alex Freeland and Santiago Espinal have platooned effectively to help fill out the middle infield in Betts’ absence.

“It’s a good problem in a sense of where we’re at, but it’s a potential tough conversation,” Roberts said Sunday before the finale of a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves.

Betts completed a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday, going 2 for 5 with a walk in two games.

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