Image credit: ClutchPoints

Dave Roberts gives ‘concerning’ Teoscar Hernandez injury update

Originally posted on MLB on ClutchPoints
By Russell Steinberg | Last updated May 6, 2025 12:57 PM ET

Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernandez exited Monday night’s 7-4 win over the Miami Marlins with left hamstring tightness and, while nothing is official, his manager is concerned.

“I got word that it was tight — whether it was a hamstring, abductor,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the game. “He’s a guy that just doesn’t come out of games by way of injury. That’s a little concerning, given the person.”

Hernandez will undergo an MRI on Tuesday to determine next steps and the Dodgers are expected to add a player to their taxi squad in the event Hernandez needs to go in the injured list.

“[Tuesday] will be telling,” Roberts added.

Roberts said that Hernandez felt the tightness in the bottom of the third inning as he pursued a ball hit in the gap. He finished the inning before Chris Taylor replaced him.

If Hernandez does miss extended time, it will be a major hit to a Dodgers team that is off to a 24-11 start. Hernandez is hitting .315 so far in 2025 with a .933 OPS and a league-high 34 RBI. He’s coming off a career year in 2024 in which he hit 33 home runs, won his third Silver Slugger and earned a new $66 million contract.

Exploring the Dodgers’ options if Teoscar Hernandez hits the IL

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Chris Taylor (3) scores from second base against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium. Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Taylor finished out the game for Hernandez on Monday, going 1-3 with a double and RBI. If Hernandez eludes major injury, the former full-time player can fill in for a few days and the Dodgers shouldn’t skip a beat.

If this is a longer-term problem, however, Los Angeles will need to find someone else to play right field every day. The Dodgers have two outfielders on their 40-man roster currently in the minor leagues in James Outman and Esteury Ruiz.

Outman was a full-timer for the Dodgers in 2023, smacking 23 home runs as a rookie. He couldn’t carry that momentum into 2024, however, and spent much of last season in the minors. He’s done well in Triple-A to start 2025, hitting for an .830 OPS with eight home runs in 32 games.

As for Ruiz, he’s also raking in Triple-A, but that’s not what he’s known for. He led the American League with 67 stolen bases in 2023 as a member of the Oakland Athletics and has swiped 15 bags already in 2025. The Dodgers acquired him in a trade with the A’s in April.

This article first appeared on MLB on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: