Another night, another injury concern for the Dodgers.
After placing Kiké Hernández on the injured list before Wednesday’s game with an oblique strain, the Dodgers removed outfielder Teoscar Hernández from the contest early after he hurt his left hamstring.
In the bottom of the second inning, Hernández ran hard up the first base line on a grounder to shortstop, but then came up limping after the throw beat him to the bag.
Hernández grabbed at his left hamstring, walked slowly off the field with a trainer waiting for him, then seemed visibly upset upon returning to the dugout –– nearly slamming his helmet at one point before disappearing into the clubhouse.
Hyeseong Kim replaced Hernández in left field in the next half-inning.
The Dodgers said Hernández suffered a left hamstring strain, but no further information was immediately available.
Hernández’s injury comes at a bad time for both him and the team.
Kiké Hernández, another right-handed-hitting veteran capable of playing the outfield, will be out for the foreseeable future with what manager Dave Roberts said pregame was a “significant tear” in his oblique.
Teoscar Hernández, meanwhile, had just started to get hot at the plate following an opening month slump. Over his last 17 games, he was batting .373 with three home runs and 14 RBIs, raising his season batting average from .236 to .278 and his OPS from .667 to .789.
If Hernández requires an IL stint, the Dodgers will have several minor-league options to consider.
Left-handed-hitting prospect James Tibbs III has had a big year for triple-A Oklahoma City, batting .316 with 12 home runs, though he also has four errors in right field.
Ryan Ward, a long-time minor-leaguer who made his MLB debut earlier this season when Freddie Freeman was on the paternity list, could be another option. But his triple-A numbers have declined from last year, when he was Pacific Coast League MVP. He has also played mostly first base in the minors lately, with only 10 appearances in the outfield this year.
The team’s other 40-man roster options include Alek Thomas, who was acquired in a trade earlier this month from the Arizona Diamondbacks but has spent the last few weeks working with the organization’s player development staff at Camelback Ranch in Arizona; and Tyler Fitzgerald, a utility player whom the Dodgers got in another trade with the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this season.
Tommy Edman is also currently on a rehab assignment, but will likely need another week or two to build up after missing the beginning of the year recovering from offseason ankle surgery.
Among players currently on the big-league roster, Hernández’s injury could create an opportunity for backup outfielder Alex Call, who has been productive in his reserve role with a .292 average this season. Kim is also capable of filling in around the outfield, which could provide him with a renewed window for playing time after Roberts said Wednesday afternoon that Freeland would get more at-bats at second base upon his return to the majors.
Either way, Hernández’s hot bat had been key to the Dodgers’ offensive turnaround of late.
Now, he has become the latest injury concern the team will potentially have to navigate around.
