Michael Busch is the DH in his major league debut, Mookie Betts back at shortstop

Mookie Betts is back at shortstop for the Dodgers, making his second straight start at the position and the first two of his career there. Also in the lineup Michael Busch making his major league debut at designated hitter, batting seventh on Tuesday against the Pirates at PNC Park.

Busch was recalled from Triple-A on Tuesday in the group of roster moves that included Max Muncy being placed on the paternity list. Chris Taylor starts at third base.

Busch was off to a strong start with Oklahoma City, reaching base in all 21 games and hitting .337/.461/.506 with eight doubles and two home runs. He was rated among the top 75 prospects in MLB entering the season by five national publications.

In the minors, Busch played mostly second base, with a smattering of first base and even left field last season. This year, seven of his first 10 starts came at second base, but he moved to third base two weeks ago and played nine of his last 11 games at the position, the first time Busch had ever played third base.

Busch’s start on Tuesday snaps a string of 23 consecutive starts by J.D. Martinez at designated hitter. Busch and Miguel Vargas are the only Dodgers to make their major league debut as the starting DH.

The last four years have been a relatively strong stretch of Dodgers hitters who started in their major league debuts:

• Miguel Vargas (August 3, 2022): 2-for-4, double, 2 RBI, stolen base
• James Outman (July 31, 2022): 3-for-4, home run*, double, 3 RBI, 2 runs
• Zach Reks (June 21, 2021): 0-for-2
• Keibert Ruiz (August 16, 2020): 1-for-4, home run*
• Gavin Lux (September 2, 2019): 2-for-5, double, 3 runs
• Will Smith (May 28, 2019): 2-for-4, double, run

*Outman and Ruiz each homered in their first major league at-bat

Busch is wearing number 83 in his debut, the same number he wore during spring training.