Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2025
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers must place Teoscar Hernández with a groin injury on the 10-day IL and promoted James Outman. Losing Hernández is a huge blow for the Dodger offense, but having Outman play center field will improve the defense.
According to Dave Roberts, Hernández will be out “for a while.” Hernández has a Grade 1 abductor strain, which is a tricky injury. He can be out until the All-Star break.
So far, Teoscar Hernández has been the most constant offensive player for the Dodgers. In 33 games, Hernández had a .315 batting average with 9 home runs and the National League-leading 34 RBI. The Dodgers can’t replace Hernández’s offensive production.
Max Muncy and Michael Conforto must break out of their slumps and contribute to the offense like their past track records. Last Wednesday, Muncy hit his only home run in the 2025 season. He has a .171 batting average with 1 home run and 7 RBI. This must improve, or the Dodgers will have offensive problems while Teoscar Hernández is on the IL.
This past offseason, the Dodgers signed Michael Conforto to solve their left field problems. Conforto has made some fantastic defensive plays in left field while he has struggled offensively. In 2025, he has a .146 batting average with 2 home runs and 6 RBI. Conforto must find a way to produce better, or the Dodgers must find another left fielder.
Outman can produce offensively though he had an awful 2024 season. During spring training, at times, he looked great, but at other times, he couldn’t make contact. The Dodgers need to have Outman to perform like he did in 2023, when he was third in the National League Rookie of the Year race.
The Dodgers will survive Teoscar Hernández’s absence. On other teams, losing Hernández would mean disaster, but the Dodgers have more depth than most teams to deal with injuries better.
