Jul 26, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts watches batting practice prior to a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Dodgers Manager Calls Out All-Star Outfielder: 'He's Got To Be Better'

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By Nelson Espinal | Last updated Aug 19, 2025 4:47 PM ET

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called out former All-Star Teoscar Hernandez after the outfielder had a poor performance against the Colorado Rockies.

Hernandez was unable to catch a bloop hit, which ended up being a double, in the bottom of the ninth inning on Monday.

The hit set up a walk-off chance, and the Rockies delivered with the next batter, getting an RBI single.

“We were playing ‘no-doubles’ (deep). It’s a big outfield. I was playing pretty far (back),” Hernandez said after the game.

“I tried to make the play. I didn’t. It came off my glove. Unfortunately. Things happen.”

Before that game-ending sequence, Hernandez made another key mistake in the third inning.

With a runner on first base, the right fielder had a ball land in front of him for a hit, though he got a poor jump on the ball, and it let the baserunner go to third.

He threw to third, which allowed the hitter to get to second base, putting two men in scoring positions. A single then drove in both runners.

After the game, Roberts did not hold back on Hernandez.

“He’s got to get better out there. There’s just no way to put it. I know there’s effort — it’s not a lack of effort. But the thing is, we’ve just got to get better. We do. I don’t know what else to say," Roberts said.

In the future, the Dodgers skipper made it clear that the outfielder will continue to play, but there needs to be an improvement if the team is to have postseason success.

“He’s going to be in the lineup. When you have a plus-game (a comfortable lead), I think I’m doing a good job of trying to get him off his legs and putting in some defensive specialists to go into run prevention mode," he added.

“But he’s got to keep putting in the work to continue to get better. He’s up third in the top half (of the 10th if the game goes into extra innings), so I’m not going to take him out of the game (in the ninth).

"It’s just one of those things that, the defense is a big part of postseason baseball and winning baseball. So yeah, he’s just got to continue to get better.”

Hernandez is batting .252/.284/.465 with 20 home runs, putting up impressive numbers despite missing a good chunk of games with an injury.

However, his fielding run value, according to Baseball Savant, sits in the 5th percentile, ranking towards the bottom of the league.