Dodgers get Teoscar Hernandez back to provide important ‘bridge’

Hernandez missed nearly five full games after being hit on the foot by a pitch, but he was back in the cleanup spot Wednesday, tasked with extending the lineup toward the on-again, off-again bottom of the order.

Sep 14, 2024 - 05:55

Dodgers get Teoscar Hernandez back to provide important ‘bridge’

LOS ANGELES — Teoscar Hernandez returned to left field on Wednesday and into the cleanup spot, with the task of extending the Dodgers’ lineup toward the on-again, off-again bottom of the order.

Hernandez’s absence of nearly five full games was shorter than originally expected after he was hit in the left foot by an offspeed pitch from the Cleveland Guardians left-hander Matthew Boyd on Friday night. Hernandez departed in the first inning and missed the next four games.

The Dodgers originally assumed a stint on the injured list was on the way until an MRI and X-rays of the foot came back clean.

Hernandez was on deck to pinch hit late in Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs, but he did not get into the game.

“Teo is a big bridge (to the bottom of the order), a guy that hits right and left, that can hit a homer, that can drive in a run,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “That was a void. Andy (Pages) did a great job, but still to have Teo in there, an All-Star, is big.”

Hernandez tied a career high with five hits in an 11-6 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Labor Day. But he went hitless in his next nine at-bats then missed four full games and eight innings of another as the Dodgers went 3-4 heading into Wednesday’s series finale against the Cubs.

“It’ll be good to get Teo back,” Roberts said. “We still got to get Will (Smith) on track with some consistency, which I’m going to keep betting on him.”

Hernandez was bating .266 with an .819 OPS entering play Wednesday, while his 28 home runs and 87 RBIs were second on the club to Shohei Ohtani’s 46 homers and 101 RBIs.

STATUS QUO

The Dodgers do not intend to make any changes to their starting rotation order in advance of a weekend series at Atlanta against the playoff-contending Braves, even with an off day on Thursday.

That means right-hander Landon Knack will pitch in Friday’s series opener while making his 10th career start. In his return to the major leagues last week, Knack pitched well even in a loss, giving up two runs in six innings against the Cleveland Guardians.

Right-hander Jack Flaherty will pitch against the Braves on Saturday, while Walker Buehler takes the mound on Sunday. Yoshinobu Yamamoto would be lined up to pitch in the series finale on Monday. Yamamoto reported soreness after his start Tuesday but nothing out of the ordinary for somebody who had not pitched in a major league game for three months.

Flaherty, the Dodgers’ projected No. 1 starter in the upcoming playoffs, will likely have three more starts in the regular season, counting Saturday’s outing.

ON TRACK

Right-hander Tyler Glasnow had no issues one day after a bullpen session Tuesday as he tries to return from elbow tendonitis. That continues to line up the right-hander for a two-inning simulated game Friday in Atlanta.

In theory, Glasnow could pitch in two more simulated games and still take the mound for the Dodgers during the final weekend of the season, on the road against the Colorado Rockies.

Glasnow, who is 9-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 22 starts during his first season with the Dodgers, has been out for a month, last pitching in a game on Aug. 11.

ON THE WAY

Right-handed reliever Joe Kelly is expected to return to the active roster next week, likely when the club plays a three-game road series against the Miami Marlins.

Kelly, who has not pitched since Aug. 30 because of right shoulder inflammation, is set to make a pair of rehab appearances for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday and Sunday.