Dodgers Get Good News on Teoscar Hernandez Injury

Injuries have taken over the Los Angeles Dodgers roster over the last week-plus, with multiple key players going down.

The latest to fall victim to the IL has been veteran outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who suffered a hamstring strain against the Colorado Rockies earlier this week. Hernandez was removed from the game early on Wednesday while trying to run out a ground ball.

The veteran was placed on the injured list, and he underwent imaging to determine the severity of the issue. Initially, the injury looked pretty bad, and the Dodgers braced for poor results.

However, the Dodgers have now gotten some good news on the injury to Hernandez, with general manager Brandon Gomes revealing that it was a Grade 1 strain.

“The MRI read better than we had expected,” Gomes said. “Hamstrings are tricky. But once he gets going, we’re hoping it’ll be a quick return, and we’ll try to get him some rehab at-bats.

"When [his groin injury] happened last year, we probably rushed it a bit on that front. We’re getting treatment for the next however many days, and then as he starts getting into things, how he’s responding, we’ll see.

"But it’s not as severe as we had thought it was.”

Due to the tricky nature of hamstring injuries and Hernandez's age, the Dodgers will take a cautious approach when it comes to his return. The team will make sure that he is fully healthy before he gets back on the field to avoid any lingering problems stemming down the line.

Before the injury, Hernandez had broken out of his early-season slump, making this an unfortunate bump in the road for the veteran. Overall, Hernandez has hit .276 with seven home runs and 31 runs batted in, while posting an OPS of .785.

"Disappointing," manager Dave Roberts said of the injury. "He's been playing so well, and he's a big part of what we're doing. So to lose him for any length of time is not great."

There is no timeline for Hernandez's return, but he is expected to be out for at least a few weeks while he recovers. Until then, the Dodgers will need others to step up to help keep the winning ways going.

Dodgers Plan Without Teoscar Hernandez

The Dodgers recalled outfielder Ryan Ward to replace Hernandez on the roster. He is expected to split time with outfielder Alex Call, who will still likely get a majority of the playing time in left field.

Call has been a breakout player for the Dodgers this year, hitting .283 with an OPS of .768. He's earned more opportunities moving forward.

As for Ward, this is the second time that he has been called up to the majors this season, and he will be given a longer leash this time around.

In two games for the Dodgers this season, Ward has gone 2-for-6 (.333) with one run batted in. Ward has played first base for most of the year in Triple-A, but he came up as an outfielder.

In Triple-A, Ward hit .254 with six home runs and 31 runs batted in, with an OPS of .797. Ward will now be tasked with helping Los Angeles, and this could be the chance he's been waiting for.

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