Dodgers Notes: Seth Halvorsen Trade, Ohtani Pitching Timeline and Mookie Betts’ Lineup Change
Latest Dodgers Notes covering Los Angeles’ trade for Seth Halvorsen, Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound timeline, and Mookie Betts moving down in the lineup.
PHILADELPHIA, PA—Before Monday’s game versus the Philadelphia Phillies, the Dodgers made a rare National League West trade with their rival, the Colorado Rockies, along with providing updates on Shohei Ohtani’s status as a pitcher and dropping Mookie Betts down in the order again this season.
Dodgers Add Hard-Throwing Reliever Seth Halvorsen From Rockies
Before the Dodgers kicked off a three-game set versus the Phillies, the organization made their first trade before the Augist 3rd trade deadline, acquiring hard-throwing right-handed relief pitcher Seth Halvorsen from their NL West rival, the Colorado Rockies.
In total, it’s a three-player swap between the clubs, with the Dodgers sending former top prospect Nick Frasso and Landyn Vidourek to Colorado for Halvorsen’s services.
Halvorsen fits the mold of a classic Dodgers reclamation project: a hard-throwing right-handed reliever with electric stuff but inconsistent command.
The 26-year-old has pitched to a 4.74 ERA, 5.73 FIP and 1.95 WHIP across 19 innings this season, striking out 17.7% of batters while walking 15.6%. He also struggled in 2025, posting a 4.99 ERA over 39.2 innings, though he still earned 11 saves and four holds in high-leverage situations.
Los Angeles will be hoping to unlock the version of Halvorsen that debuted in 2024, when he posted a 1.46 ERA with a 28.3% strikeout rate and just a 4.3% walk rate over 12.1 innings. He even recorded his first career save against the Dodgers on Sept. 21, 2024.
Halvorsen’s arsenal is headlined by a fastball that averages 98.8 mph and has reached 103.3 mph—the fastest pitch in Rockies history—along with a slider and splitter. His slider has been especially effective, holding opponents to a .143 batting average and .190 slugging percentage, making it a pitch the Dodgers could lean on more heavily.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Halvorsen would start his Dodgers tenure in Triple-A, where he holds a 2.04 ERA across 17.2 innings this season.
Frasso’s time with the Dodgers ends after nearly four years. Acquired from the Blue Jays for Mitch White at the 2022 trade deadline, he quickly emerged as one of the organization’s top pitching prospects before right labrum surgery in November 2023 stalled his development.
The right-hander re-signed with the Dodgers on a minor league deal after being non-tendered this offseason and returned to the 40-man roster in June. He posted a 4.74 ERA in 24.2 innings with Triple-A Oklahoma City this season while striking out 35.1% of batters but walking 14.9%.
Vidourek is the more intriguing piece heading to Colorado, ranked among the Dodgers’ top-25 prospects by both MLB Pipeline (No. 25) and FanGraphs (No. 22).
The 22-year-old outfielder offers plus power and speed but remains a work in progress at the plate. In 22 games with Single-A Ontario this season, he hit .170/.332/.311 with six home runs, 24 RBI, 39 runs scored and nine stolen bases.
Dodgers Still Expect Ohtani to Resume Throwing Off a Mound Soon
One arm that is absent from the Dodgers' starting rotation this week is right-hander Shohei Ohtani, who, after receiving a left knee procedure (which was a lubricant injection, not a drainage), is out of the starting rotation indefinitely.
Still, despite the news, Ohtani himself is trying to work his way back earlier than initially planned, throwing off flat ground between yesterday's doubleheader versus the New York Yankees, and looks to be on track to throw off a mound this week per Dave Roberts.
Still, like last season, the Dodgers are being openly cautious with their two-way star, hoping to save his best bullets for the postseason.
Roberts said the Dodgers are taking every precaution to ensure Ohtani’s knee is no longer an issue before ramping up his pitching workload.
“All that stuff is trying to give us the best chance to be out of the woods entirely,” Roberts said before Monday’s game against the Phillies.
If all goes well, Ohtani could throw off a mound later this week, with Roberts identifying Thursday or Friday as the target. Thursday is an off day for the Dodgers as they visit the White House before opening a three-game series against the Mets in New York on Friday.
When asked if Ohtani could rejoin the rotation as soon as next week, Roberts wasn’t ready to commit to a timeline.
“I don’t know. He’s got to play catch again and then we’ll see.”
Struggling Mookie Betts Dropped to Fifth in Dodgers’ Lineup
While the Dodgers have the best record in baseball this season, nothing has been consistent for the team, and that is especially true for the lineup outside of Shohei Ohtani in the leadoff spot.
Entering Monday’s game versus the Phillies, Dave Roberts opted to make yet another switch, dropping All-Star shortstop Mookie Betts down to 5th in the batting order.
The move comes as no surprise, as despite a hot June, Betts has scuffled since the calendar turned to July, entering the game 4-for-38 in his last 11 games and hitless in 14 straight at-bats dating back to July 11th.
Roberts stated that the reason for the switch was to give Betts a new look, while also bumping up the switch-hitting Tommy Edman, giving the team another right-handed look versus Phillies ace Christopher Sanchez.
Roberts emphasized that Betts’ struggles aren’t due to a lack of preparation or effort, as the Dodgers star continues searching for consistency at the plate. Betts’ season average has fallen back to .226, while his OPS sits at .690 after a recent downturn.
“It’s not for lack of effort, work,” Roberts said of Betts. “About a month ago, yeah, we all felt that he turned the corner. And then the last few weeks, it just hasn’t been there.”
The Dodgers manager acknowledged that while Betts appeared to find his rhythm earlier in the season, the production has not carried over in recent weeks.