The majority of the 2026 season has been a struggle for Teoscar Hernández, and it comes after a down 2025 season, which raised concerns about his viability as an everyday player moving forward.
But Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gives his veteran players every chance to succeed and continues to stick with them rather than make quick changes.
“I just think for me, he’s working hard, he’s playing very good defense out there in left field, and I want him in the lineup,” Roberts said on May 11. “I want to give him the opportunity, as he’s earned, to continue to work through things.”
Because of that mindset, Roberts dropped Hernández in the Dodgers’ lineup to “let the game come to him” and take some pressure off the veteran outfielder.
Before that, Hernández was hitting .238/.317/.365 throughout the season, but since he was dropped down in the lineup, Hernández has been the best hitter on the club, batting .474/.500/.789.
“He certainly responded really well,” Roberts said after a win over the Los Angeles Angels. “That wasn’t my plan, initially, to have him hit eighth. I just felt the way things were going, the way he was going, I thought it needed to be done.
“You can look at it different ways; as a challenge, or giving him a different look. However he took it, he’s responded well and knows that I always have his and everyone’s best interest at heart. But we needed him to be better and have more consistent at-bats. He’s doing that right now.”
Hernández has only spent two games in the eighth spot out of the five games played since being moved down, but something seemed to click for him, whether it was mentally getting reset or unlocking something with his mechanics. He’s posted four multi-hit games with four extra-base hits, including his first home run in a month.
It’s also no coincidence the Dodgers’ lineup as a whole has been better during that time. Hernández is both getting on base and slugging, which the team has lacked as a whole over the past few weeks.
That is exactly what Roberts was hoping to see, and the results have helped the Dodgers win three straight games.
“Take good at-bats, hit the ball hard, and then everything else takes care of itself,” Roberts said on May 11. “If he is doing that, then yeah, it’ll kind of bleed into the top for sure.”
Teoscar Hernández was close to losing playing time
Before making the lineup change as a last effort to get Hernández going, Roberts conceded that Alex Call could get more playing time in left field if things continued the way they were.
Call has had an excellent start to the season and excels against left-handed pitching. Even with Hernández seeming to get back on track, Call should still get additional opportunities.
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