The Dodgers fear a lengthy absence for their starting left fielder after suffering a hamstring injury.

The Los Angeles Dodgers saw one of their starting outfielders go down. Teoscar Hernandez injured his left hamstring trying to beat out a ground ball in the Dodgers’ 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. Hernandez slammed his helmet in the dugout in frustration and left the game, with Hyeseong Kim taking over defensively in left field.

The injury will keep the 2024 All-Star out for a “few weeks at a minimum”, reports Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said postgame that Hernandez is headed for imaging to determine the severity.

With Hernandez headed for the injured list and a return timeline measured in weeks, the Dodgers will likely make a roster move in the outfield.

Teoscar Hernandez Out Weeks With Hamstring Injury

The injury is a blow to the Dodgers’ starting lineup. Hernandez has played 50 games in left field and has been a productive bat in their lineup. He’s currently slashing .276/.348/.436 with seven homers in the 2026 season. FanGraphs rates him as 22% better than the league-average hitter with a 122 wRC+.

While the Dodgers’ lineup is full of stars and future Hall of Famers, Hernandez is a critical component in their lineup. He adds length behind the stars, with plenty of RBI opportunities. He’s second on the club with 31 RBI, behind Andy Pages’ MLB-leading 50.

It will be interesting to see the approach the Dodgers take. Andy Pages and Kyle Tucker are already playing every day in center and right field. They could deploy a platoon in left field, with Alex Call serving on the short-side of that platoon.

Or if they want to avoid a platoon, they could just play Call regularly. The reserve outfielder has hit well in his limited opportunities, hitting .292 with a .417 on-base percentage in 60 plate appearances. Those on-base skills would work at the bottom of the Dodgers’ lineup, which could lead to big innings when the lineup turns over with Call’s plus speed on the bases.

In terms of left-handed bats, they could keep utility infielder Hyeseong Kim out there. But they also have plenty of outfielders to call up from Triple-A worth considering as well.

Dodgers Potential Replacements for Teoscar Hernandez

Alek Thomas and Ryan Ward are currently on Los Angeles’ 40-man roster for outfield bats. Ward is the more likely of the two candidates, simply due to the fact to his longer track record of performing well in their system.

Additionally, if they wanted to opt for a bold move, they could promote one of their top prospects. James Tibbs III is a former first-rounder the Dodgers received in the Dustin May trade last July, and currently ranks as the organization’s No. 10 prospect on MLB Pipeline. He’s slashing .316/.422/.606 with Triple-A Oklahoma City, which is still good for a 158 wRC+ in the extreme hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

With Teoscar Hernandez out for weeks, it will be interesting to see if they opt for a short-term replacement in Ward, or if they start the 40-man clock for one of their top prospects. One possible 40-man move would be transferring Kike Hernandez, who suffered a torn oblique, to the 60-day injured list.