The Los Angeles Dodgers are coming out of their worst stretch of the season, dropping eight of nine games and three consecutive series.
On Tuesday, manager Dave Roberts spoke of the need to play with more urgency, with the Dodgers having to play their way out of Wild Card Series range.
This course of action involves taking a more aggressive stance in lineup decisions and in-game management.
“I think that we’re past letting them play out of it,” Roberts said of struggling players. “I think that we’re in a playoff race, trying to win the division, number one. Number two, capture one of the first two playoff spots.
“This is go-time, and so I’m going to manage accordingly, like I said. We’ve seen enough of a sample of guys and what they’ve done this year, and so everyone understands it’s about winning. It’s not about feelings. I love and like everybody, but we’ve got to do what’s best for the Dodgers for 2026.”
Roberts already made one change on Tuesday by elevating Freddie Freeman to the No. 2 spot in the batting order against right-handed pitching. It is an area the Dodgers have been looking to see higher production from all season long.
The Dodgers made an additional change on Tuesday, swapping out Teoscar Hernández in favor of Alex Call in right field. It is not clear what this change means for Hernández’s playing time for the rest of the season, but his offensive production has been 4% below league average, according to his wRC+.
It is worth noting that Call is in the same boat in terms of wRC+, but he does offer more on defense and strikes out at a much lower rate.
Any other lineup changes the Dodgers could make are not immediately apparent, although Roberts has moved guys around in the batting order and been more aggressive when it comes to pinch-hitting opportunities.
Hernández has already been pinch-hit for twice in big moments, with Roberts opting to go with a left-handed hitter instead of trusting Hernández.
Dodgers addressing struggles with ABS challenges
The Dodgers have struggled to use MLB’s Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system well as a group, and that has not improved as the season has gone on.
Roberts wants his team to be smarter about when it challenges pitches, and he has made it clear that it is an area that needs improvement.
Make sure to follow Dodger Blue on Instagram! It’s the best way to see exclusive coverage from games and events, get your questions answered, and more!
