Dave Roberts isn’t making the same mistake twice. And for the Los Angeles Dodgers, that might mean the difference between a healthy postseason push and another costly setback.
The Dodgers are finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel with outfielder Teoscar Hernández, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury. According to a report from MLB.com, Hernández could begin a rehab assignment as soon as the weekend of June 19–21, assuming he continues to progress. That timeline puts him on track for a return sometime in late June, barring any setbacks.
But here’s the catch — and it’s one Roberts is vocal about addressing.
The Groin Injury That Haunted 2024
Hernández also missed time last season with a groin injury, and when he came back, he wasn’t himself. The numbers reflected it. His timing was off, his swing was late, and the Dodgers learned a hard lesson about rushing a slugger back into the lineup.
“I think [we’re] just making sure that his swing is back, so we can kind of pick up where we left off,” Roberts told reporters, including the New York Post. “That’s the thing we didn’t do last year. He missed some time, and then we kind of just got him back in the lineup, and he just wasn’t right. So just to make sure he’s in a good spot physically, and then his swing is kind of reflective of that.”
That’s not just cautious optimism — that’s a directive. The Dodgers are prioritizing readiness over urgency this time around, even with Hernández posting a solid .276 average, seven home runs, and 31 RBIs with an .784 OPS before the injury.
Dodgers Still Rolling Without Him
Los Angeles entered Tuesday with a 46-27 record, good for the best mark in the National League and an eight-game lead in the NL West. The team has won six of its last ten games and shows no signs of slowing down, even with key contributors like Hernández and Mookie Betts dealing with injuries at various points this season.
That cushion gives the Dodgers the luxury of patience — something they didn’t fully exercise last year when Hernández’s groin issue flared up. The front office and coaching staff are aligned on this: when Hernández returns, he needs to look like the guy who mashed 33 home runs and drove in 99 RBIs over the last two seasons combined, not a player limping through at-bats.
Hernández’s rehab assignment will be the real test. If he clears it without issue, Los Angeles adds a legitimate middle-of-the-order bat just in time for the stretch run. If not, the Dodgers have the depth and the division lead to wait until the All-Star break — or beyond.
The key takeaway? Roberts and the medical staff are holding the timeline, not the other way around. And that small shift in philosophy could pay off huge in October.
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