Sep 13, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernandez (37) looks back towards home plate after scoring a run against the San Francisco Giants in the fifth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Dodgers' Teoscar Hernandez Sends Exciting Message to Fans

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By Gabe Smallson | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 9:00 PM ET

Although the Los Angeles Dodgers have had abysmal production from their outfielders at many points of this season, there have been recent signs of life from right fielder Teoscar Hernández.

Never known as a defender, Hernández doesn't bring his value to the team with his glove. His Outs Above Average ranking of minus-9 puts him in just the 3rd percentile in MLB, the same result of his play last season.

Offensively, Hernández was coming off a career-high 33 home runs and best production at the plate since 2021 during his first year on the Dodgers. It eventually earned him a new three-year, $66 million deal this past offseason.

He is currently batting about 20 points lower this season compared to last (.251) and an OPS .100 points lower (.746), but has just left behind a month of August that saw him notch his lowest on-base percentage of any month this season (.237).

From June 1 to Aug. 30, Hernández was only hitting .209/.252/.382 with a .634 OPS.

So far through September, Hernández is starting to look more like the guy that Dodgers fans embraced last season who would then play a key part in hoisting their eighth World Series trophy in franchise history.

"I finally feel like myself," Hernández said. "Every coordination that I work on in the cage, everything that I try to do in the cage before the game, I've been doing it these past five days. So it's definitely getting closer to where I was before I got hurt at the beginning of the season.

"It's getting better at the right time, right before the season ends. We're still fighting, trying to win some games to get closer to the second spot [in the overall NL standings]. Just keep working and let everything go on the field."

Through 11 games this month, Hernández is hitting .304/.333/.543 with an OPS of .877. He has added three home runs and seven RBIs in this time.

Despite the struggles defensively, there is at least more depth in the outfield for LA as utility star and reigning NLCS MVP Tommy Edman has been recently activated from the injured list.

Regardless of how Hernández has performed this season and the brutal summer that he battled through, if he can carry this kind of offense through October, it will almost certainly outweigh any regular-season blunders.