On the heels of first losing Yasiel Puig to the disabled list with a strained left hamstring, then Brandon McCarthy for the season with a torn UCL in his right elbow, the Los Angeles Dodgers placed Carl Crawford on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday with a torn oblique.
Utility man Kiké Hernandez, acquired in the offseason from the Miami Marlins, was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City. A timetable for Crawford’s return was not provided, though torn oblique injuries typically require at least a month-long recovery.
Crawford started Monday night and tripled in his first at-bat. However, he was then pinch-hit for in the third inning with little reasoning provided. On the season Crawford is batting .245/.260/.408 with one home run, one triple, three doubles and three RBIs in 15 games (13 starts).
Despite stating during the spring he was in great shape, more specifically with his legs feeling healthy, Crawford had yet to attempt stealing a base. As for Hernandez, he struggled a bit with Oklahoma City after finishing off Cactus League play on a high note.
In 16 games for the OKC Dodgers, Hernandez was batting .169/.219/.254 with one home run, two doubles, nine RBIs, and 19 strikeouts to four walks. With Crawford unavailable, the Dodgers first turn to Alex Guerrero in left field Tuesday night against Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants.
Guerrero has five home runs and 13 RBIs in just 24 plate appearances thus far. He also worked at third base during the spring in effort to make himself more versatile on a deep roster.
