Just as things are starting to trend up for the Los Angeles Dodgers with multiple injured pitchers now back healthy or close to returning, the opposite has happened for the position player group.
It started when Max Muncy suffered a bone bruise in his left knee that’s going to keep him out roughly six weeks. Then on Sunday morning, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed both Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman are dealing with foot injuries and undergoing testing.
After the game, Roberts also added Kiké Hernández to the list of injured Dodgers.
All three of them are potential options to land on the injured list, although Roberts said Edman is likely to remain on the active roster. But given that the Dodgers’ bench consists of just one healthy player — whoever is the backup catcher for the day — they seem likely to make a roster move.
“Yeah, we might have to,” Roberts said. “Today, when we have one player available and that’s the catcher, that’s not a good feeling. So I don’t know how much will change tomorrow as far as availability. So yeah, there is talk about one of those guys potentially going on the IL.
“I don’t see it being Tommy, but we’re still kind of trying to figure it out, and then who would we bring.”
Dodgers injuries
Kiké Hernández
Kiké Hernández has been dealing with an elbow issue for the past month.
“Left elbow, inside, outside of it, so doesn’t affect the defense, but the swing has been compromised,” Roberts said. “Yesterday it really came to a head, as far as swinging, and so we stayed away from him again today.”
Given how long the issue has been affecting Hernández, he seems to be the most likely to head to the injured list. James Outman and the recently-acquired CJ Alexander figure to be the most likely options to replace him if a move is made.
Tommy Edman
Testing on Edman revealed he suffered a small fracture in his right pinky toe after being hit by a pitch on Saturday. Edman is considered day-to-day and his return to the lineup is based on pain tolerance.
Given the foot injury, it’s unlikely Edman will see any time in the outfield until it heals up, just as the Dodgers were cautious with his sore right ankle and avoided using him in center field. However, the expectation was he would take over as the everyday third baseman with Muncy out.
In the meantime, Miguel Rojas will get the starts at third base.
Teoscar Hernández
The scans on Teoscar Hernández showed the best-case scenario as he avoided any broken bones or more serious issues.
“Teo, the scans came back negative, so that’s positive,” Roberts said. “But he’s sore, and so we’ll see how he comes out after we travel.”
That also likely means Hernández is day-to-day for now, but given some of the other issues he’s dealt with, a stint on the IL could certainly be beneficial. However, Roberts seemed to shut down the idea of an extended break for Hernández to help with his recent slump.
“I’ve tried to give him certain days to get back, to give a blow here there,” Roberts said before the game. “So I think, to be quite honest, I’m going to see how his foot feels. … But as far as the question, if he’s fine to play, I’m not going to just sit him for a week when he says he feels good, but still not performing.”
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