Dodgers notes: Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Daniel Hudson

As we digest Mookie Betts reaching base six times in Friday’s win over the Royals, and Daniel Hudson back in the majors a little over a year after tearing his ACL, here are a few Dodgers and baseball stories to begin your holiday weekend.

Hudson talked to Mike DiGiovanna at the Los Angeles Times about his eight-game minor league rehab assignment and the long road back to the majors. “I think it just got to a point where I was like, ‘You know what? I’m ready. I’m done checking boxes here. Let’s just freaking go,’” said Hudson, who struck out two in a scoreless inning Friday in his first game back.

Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic offered his thoughts on what the Dodgers priorities should be at the trade deadline: “in order: bullpen, right-handed bat, starting rotation.”

Juan Toribio at MLB.com picked his first-half award winners for the Dodgers, including Freddie Freeman as most outstanding hitter.

We’re all out here feeding the content monster, so take this for what it is — Bradford Doolittle at ESPN identified a player each major league team should either target or trade by the deadline, and his choice for the Dodgers was a reunion with old friend Rich Hill.

Erik Pedersen at The Orange County Register recalls a time from his youth attending a Ron Cey autograph-signing event during his playing days at a Pasadena Sears.

Patrick Dubuque at Baseball Prospectus used Luis Arraez’s quest for .400 — the Marlins second baseman enters Saturday batting .390 — to reintroduce and praise the index stat, which contextualizes batting average, and other stats, in comparison to their ballpark and league, much like OPS+, wRC+, and others. To that end, Arraez’s batting average compared to his environment is the second-best since 1900, trailing only Josh Gibson (.466 average, 164 BA+) in the Negro Leagues in 1943.

Dodgers chairman and team co-owner Billie Jean King purchased the Premier Hockey Federation on Thursday, with the intent of starting a new women’s hockey league. Hailey Salvian at The Athletic has details on the deal, which she called “a watershed moment for women’s hockey.”