Teoscar Hernandez left Friday’s 3-1 Dodgers loss to the Guardians within the first inning after the slugger was hit on the left ankle by a pitch from Cleveland starter Matthew Boyd. Hernandez was in apparent discomfort when leaving the sphere, although the damage has been termed a foot contusion for now since preliminary x-rays have been damaging.
Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts advised reporters (together with MLB.com’s Juan Toribio) that extra checks will likely be completed on Hernandez’s ankle, however a visit to the injured record appears unavoidable.
“(Hernandez is) as robust as they arrive and he may barely transfer his foot … He doesn’t come out of video games,” Roberts mentioned. “Afterwards, the ache sometimes subsides for him, nevertheless it didn’t. It’s regarding.”
Extra will likely be recognized about Hernandez’s standing later Saturday, but because it looks like he’ll definitely be happening the IL, the query is now whether or not or not we’ll see Hernandez on the sphere once more in 2024. Past simply the common season, the Dodgers definitely hope to be taking part in deep into the playoffs, but such an prolonged run would clearly be much more tough if Hernandez isn’t out there. Profitable the NL West can also be not a foregone conclusion, because the Dodgers maintain a four-game lead on the Padres and a 5.5-game lead on the Diamondbacks.
Contemplating how Hernandez can also be a free agent this winter, it is usually conceivable that Friday would possibly’ve marked the top of the left fielder’s tenure in Los Angeles altogether. After a down 12 months with the Mariners in 2023, Hernandez inked a one-year, $23.5M contract with L.A. final winter with the concept that he may make a fast return to free company this coming offseason on the heels of a rebound 12 months. That situation has performed out precisely as Hernandez had meant, as he has hit .266/.331/.488 with 28 homers over 581 plate appearances and earned a spot on the NL All-Star group.
Maybe the important thing quantity in that statline is just the variety of plate appearances, as Hernandez has been one of many Dodgers’ pillars of stability amidst an injury-plagued season. Nearly actually each member of the L.A. pitching employees has hung out on the IL or had their season already ended by accidents, and Mookie Betts (fractured hand) and Max Muncy (indirect pressure) additionally every missed months of time earlier than returning in August.
Simply when it appeared as if Los Angeles lastly had its first-choice lineup all intact, nonetheless, the position-player depth will once more be examined if Hernandez misses time as anticipated. Any of Enrique Hernandez, Chris Taylor, Andy Pages or Tommy Edman could possibly be cycled into left discipline, although the Dodgers had additionally been utilizing the right-handed hitting Hernandez and Taylor at second and third base, to protect the lefty-swinging Muncy and Gavin Lux towards some southpaw pitching. James Outman is essentially the most possible Triple-A call-up, as Outman’s presence would additional add to the outfield combine whereas maybe conserving Lux and Enrique Hernandez extra restricted to infield obligation.
