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The Los Angeles Dodgers have made a change to their starting lineup for the first time since the National League Division Series, moving All-Star catcher Will Smith to the No. 2 spot in the batting order and inserting Alex Call into left field, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney. Superstar shortstop Mookie Betts is now batting third for the defending champions. Will Smith moves to the 2 spot for the Dodgers, Mookie hitting third, Alex Call starts in LF.— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) October 29, 2025 More news: Ghost Runner in the Playoffs? Dodgers, Blue Jays Managers Have Different Answers TORONTO, ONTARIO – OCTOBER 24: Manager Dave Roberts #30 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on before game one of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Center on October 24, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) So far during the World Series, Betts is hitting just .158 at his usual No. 2 spot in the order. During the regular season, amid Betts’ career-worst slump, he was featured batting leadoff in an effort to get some more production out of him, and hit just .222 with a .587 in that new role. As for Smith, he is hitting .235 so far in the World Series with four hits, four RBIs, and a home run. Call has just nine at-bats in the postseason thus far, but has four hits and two walks in that span. He is in the outfield on Wednesday due to Andy Pages being swapped out of his starting role at center. More news: Shohei Ohtani Passes Lou Gehrig to Make MLB History in World Series Pages has been struggling immensely so far this postseason, hitting just .080 with an OPS of .215. He has four hits, one RBI (which took the lead in NLCS Game 2), and 11 strikeouts across his 14 appearances. Utility star Kiké Hernández will be manning centerfield in Pages’ absence. Hernandez and his reputation for always elevating his batting average and OPS in October, is hitting .269 in the postseason thus far (compared to a .203 regular season mark), but so far through the World Series is hitting just .188. Roberts hopes that his lineup edits lead to some more offense in what has been an otherwise mediocre display in the Dodgers’ pair of World Series losses. Game 5 begins at 5:00 p.m. PST at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday evening as the series heads back to Toronto for Game 6 (and 7, if necessary). More news: Red Sox Prospect Suddenly Retires at 25 For all the latest MLB news and rumors, head over to Newsweek Sports.
