Dodgers Sign Jonathan Hernández

The Dodgers announced the signing of reliever Jonathan Hernández to a major league deal. Chayce McDermott was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move. L.A. transferred Ben Casparius to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

Hernández spent the first six weeks of the season with the Phillies on a minor league contract. He was granted his release yesterday after triggering an opt-out provision. Philly opted not to give him an MLB look, but he’ll get his first major league opportunity since 2024 with the two-time defending champions.

The 29-year-old Hernández has spent the majority of his career with the Rangers. He pitched his way into a late-inning role in Texas in 2020 but underwent Tommy John surgery the following April. The hard-throwing righty pitched well upon his return in the second half of ’22. He ran into trouble over the next couple seasons, combining for a 5.40 ERA over 62 appearances between 2023-24.

Texas waived Hernández late in the ’24 season. He had a brief stint with the Mariners and spent last season in the Rays’ system on a minor league contract. An injury kept him out until September and limited him to 12 Triple-A appearances. The sinkerballer has been healthy this year, working 15 innings of eight-run ball with Philly’s top affiliate. He has recorded 22 strikeouts against five walks while getting ground-balls at a lofty 57% clip.

Hernández has a standard sinker-slider combination, sitting in the 96 mph range with the heater. He’ll be available in middle relief as the Dodgers enter the 12th day of a two-week stretch without an off day. Hernández hasn’t pitched in five days and should be at full strength. He’s out of minor league options, so it could be a brief stint on the roster if L.A. needs to swap him out for another fresh arm later in the week.

Casparius has been out since April 13 with shoulder inflammation. The transfer officially rules him out of MLB action until June 2. Casparius has yet to begin a rehab assignment so he might not be ready by then either way. According to the MLB.com injury tracker, he was throwing at the club’s Arizona complex earlier this month.

Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic first reported the Hernández signing.