Mookie Betts is back in the Dodgers lineup, but the superstar shortstop isn't pretending he has all the answers. After returning from the injured list on Tuesday, Betts wasted no time addressing the elephant in the room: the defending World Series champions are in a slump, and no single player can fix it alone.

"I know I'm not the hero," Betts said before the game. "It's going to take us all."

In his first game back, Betts batted second and went 1-for-5 with a single. But the Dodgers managed just three runs—a frustrating pattern that has plagued the team lately. May has been a rollercoaster: they crushed the Astros with 12 runs one week, then scored only seven runs across an entire three-game series against the Atlanta Braves. Through the first week and a half of the month, Los Angeles has lost six of ten games.

"We're going to go through our ups and downs," Betts added. "It's important for everyone to know it's going to take all of us and not just one guy getting through their struggles."

The offense has leaned heavily on Andy Pages and Max Muncy over the past week, but the biggest concern has been Shohei Ohtani's sudden cold spell. Since May 1, Ohtani owns a 10 wRC+—the second-worst mark on the team—and is batting just .111. He hasn't hit a home run since April 26, and without his usual firepower, the Dodgers lineup has lacked its driving force. As a team, they've posted a 99 wRC+ over that stretch, dipping below average after a scorching start to the season.

Betts knows better than anyone that consistency is the key. Before his oblique injury in April, he was finally finding his rhythm at the plate, including a home run the day before he left a game against the Nationals early. He had pushed his OPS above .700 and was looking like the Mookie Betts fans know and love.

While Tuesday's return didn't produce fireworks, his presence alone is a step in the right direction. The Dodgers may not be looking for a hero—they're looking for a team effort. And with Betts back in the mix, that mission just got a whole lot more realistic.