Kiké Hernández, Teoscar Hernández, and Tommy Edman were all unavailable on Sunday. The Dodgers are mulling over a roster addition or two for the road trip to avoid playing short like they did Sunday.
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers got some good news regarding Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernández, but they weren’t the only position players unavailable for Los Angeles on Sunday. Kiké Hernández was also out as well while managing a left elbow injury.
“He’s been dealing with this elbow thing for about a month,” manager Dave Roberts said. “It doesn’t affect the defense, but the swing has been compromised. Yesterday really came to a head as far as playing, so we stayed away from him again today.”
Hernández is in a 5-for-52 slump dating back to June 3, dropping his seasonal line to just .195/.259/.367 with a 74 wRC+. He’s started games at first base, second base, third base, left field, and center field this season.
Scans of Edman’s right pinkie toe showed a small fracture, but he’s the least likely to land on the injured list, Roberts said. It’ll just be a matter of pain tolerance determining Edman’s availability.
Teoscar Hernández had scans on his left foot, which came back negative. But he’s still sore. Whether he is placed on the injured list will depend on how he feels after the Dodgers travel to Milwaukee, where they will start a three-game series on Monday night.
With the upcoming All-Star break already providing built-in off days, this is really the sweet spot in terms of minimizing the cost of a stint on the injured list. Putting any of them on the 10-day IL as late as Tuesday would make them eligible to return by Friday, July 18, which is the Dodgers’ first game after the break, while they would miss as few as seven games (counting Sunday against Houston) if they are ready to return by then, instead of the usual nine or 10 games out in such situations.
What the Dodgers want to avoid is another situation like Sunday, in which only 10 position players were available, including Esteury Ruiz, who made his first start for the team. Will Smith was the only player available off the bench. They scored only once in the series finale, finishing off a weekend sweep by Houston.
“Today, when you have one player available, and that’s the catcher, that’s not a good feeling. I don’t know how much will change tomorrow as far as availability. Yeah, there is talk about one of those guys potentially going on the IL,” Roberts said. “We’re still trying to figure out then who would we bring [to Milwaukee].”
There are only three healthy position players on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster who aren’t already active in the majors. CJ Alexander, who was claimed off waivers on Thursday, is the designated hitter for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday night in Las Vegas. Outfielder James Outman and catcher Hunter Feduccia did not start for Oklahoma City on Sunday, and both have seen time in the majors this year.
Also of note, switch-hitting shortstop Alex Freeland is playing third base Sunday night in Triple-A, his fourth straight game at the position since Muncy was injured. Freeland is not on the 40-man roster for now, but it’s not unreasonable to think he might find his way into the major league mix over the six weeks or so that Muncy is sidelined.