May 28: Roberts spoke to members of the media after the game and said Hernández will hit the injured list and likely miss at least a few weeks, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Ardaya later added that Ward would be remembered as a similar move.
May 27: Teoscar Hernández left early for tonight’s game against Colorado. The Dodger lefty strained his left hamstring while trying to hit a ground ball to shortstop in the second inning. Hernández was visibly frustrated and quickly exited the game. Hyeseong Kim he took him to left field in third place.
The Dodgers haven’t announced any details other than confirming it’s a hamstring strain. They may provide more information in the next day or two after the photo shoot. It would be surprising if he avoids the injured list even if the type is of low quality.
Los Angeles has just been added Kike Hernández back on the injured list tonight for a critical tilt. It would be a month before he could return. Alex Freeland came up from Triple-A to replace Kiké Hernández on the active roster. Manager Dave Roberts said before the game that Freeland would get the majority of the first baseman’s playing time, pushing Kim into a bigger role.
Tonight’s game marked Kim’s first MLB career as a left fielder. He pitched 85 1/3 innings in center field as a rookie. He was a full-time center fielder this year except for two innings when he played in Triple-A earlier in the season. Kim is athletic enough to play on the outside, but his value is tied more to his defensive ability up the middle.
Alex Call I started tonight in right field. The Dodgers seem to want to stay away Kyle Tucker on a day off. The phone played well in limited opportunities but was mostly found in the short team role. If the Dodgers are wary of using him as an everyday player and Teoscar Hernández misses time, it could happen Ryan Ward backup from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Last year’s league leader in home runs, Ward is hitting .260/.386/.428 this season in OKC. He made his MLB debut in April of the season Freddie Freeman He was on his father’s roster, going 2-6 in two games. Tyler Fitzgerald again Alex Thomas other position players in an optional career. Fitzgerald is a center fielder and right-handed hitter, so he’s not an ideal teammate for Call. Thomas has been in the Arizona team’s facility since they acquired the Diamondbacks two weeks ago, possibly working to get things right.
Taking IL would be a bittersweet end to what has been a great month for Hernández. He is hitting .329 with three homers and four doubles in May. After a slow start, he has become one of the team’s best players over the past few weeks. Assuming the Dodgers close out a 4-1 lead in the ninth inning, they’ll pull 4.5 games ahead of the Diamondbacks and the slumping Padres in the NL West.
