TheLos Angeles Dodgersare getting a key part of their lineup back.Teoscar Hernándezhas been activated from the injured list,the team announcedon Monday. Hernández, 32,sustained a left groin strainwhile chasing down a line drive in the outfield during the Dodgers' game versus theMiami Marlinson May 6. At the time of his injury, he was batting .315 with a .933 OPS, 10 doubles and nine home runs, while leading MLB with 34 RBI in 33 games (136 plate appearances). With Hernández's return, outfielderJames Outmanwas sent back down to Triple-A Oklahoma City. He was recalled from the minors to fill Hernández's spot on the roster. Outman, 28, was batting .125/.222/.375 with two homers and four RBI. The Dodgers may not be done making moves with their outfielders now that Hernández andTommy Edmanhave been activated. The teamreleased veteran utilityman Chris Tayloron Sunday, deciding to keepHyeseong Kim(.452/.485/.581 in 33 PAs) instead.Andy Pageshas also been playing very well, batting .280 with a .987 OPS, nine homers, 27 RBI and five stolen bases. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts will likely opt to use Edman and Kim, in addition toEnrique Hernández, at multiple positions based on pitching matchups and the need for days off to keep players fresh. However,Michael Confortocould ultimately be pushed out of the outfield mix, carrying a .171//.305/.279 batting line with nine doubles and two home runs. With just 44 games played, the Dodgers will probably give Conforto more time to turn his season around. But he onlysigned a one-year dealand thus may be viewed as expendable in a roster crunch. But moving Taylor and veteran catcher Austin Barnes off the roster shows that the Dodgers feel the urgency to make tough decisions as they face a tough race in the National League West. Three straight games with a home run for Teoscar Hernández!pic.twitter.com/Ts1xUUnqe0 — MLB (@MLB)April 29, 2025 Going into Monday's MLB slate, the Dodgers lead both theSan Diego PadresandSan Francisco Giantsby one gamein the National League Westat 29-18. TheArizona Diamondbacksaren't far behind either, just four games back. Of greater concern isthe team's pitching, which ranks 11th in the NL (and 21st in MLB) with a 4.18 ERA. StartersTyler Glasnow,Blake SnellandRoki Sasakiare all on the injured list, in addition to relieversBlake Treinen,Evan PhillipsandKirby Yates.Clayton Kershawmade his first start of the season on Saturday, butlooked like a work in progressafter returning from multiple surgeries. As Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said on Sunday, building pitching depth is an endless chase. "It's like a game of Whack-a-Mole, and things keep popping up," Friedman said,via the Los Angeles Times. "The definition of enough depth, I think is a fool's errand. I don't know what enough depth means. I think more is always better with pitching depth." Figuring out the team's outfield mix is a luxury by comparison. That's a problem the Dodgers will surely accept right now while there are far more pressing issues to address.
