Bold headline: Teoscar Hernandez returns leaner, stronger, and primed for a Dodgers resurgence in left field.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — A May groin strain placed Teoscar Hernandez on the injured list and shadowed the remainder of his season. Yet the deeper wound may have been to his confidence rather than his body.
Hernandez, re-signed by the Dodgers before last season, moved back to his natural outfield home in right field. By midseason, though, his defense there drew concerns and criticism, highlighting a mismatch between expectations and on-field results.
The 33-year-old veteran entered the offseason with a clear plan. Arriving at camp this week, he revealed he had shed 12 pounds and sharpened his focus on conditioning to elevate his 2026 performance.
“Right now, I’m feeling really good – back to the way I used to be,” Hernandez said on Tuesday. “I’ve typically carried about 204–205 pounds. Last year I was just a bit above that. I’m back to my normal range now.”
“Last year I wasn’t moving the way I know I can move. One of my offseason goals was to return to the shape and weight range I’m most comfortable with, the level I know I can perform at. That was my main objective.”
Though he spent less than two weeks on the injured list after the May groin strain and played with a bruised foot in July, Hernandez acknowledged that lower-body issues affected him all season. He was hitting .313 with a .933 OPS and 34 RBIs through his first 33 games before the injury, then posted .223 with a .672 OPS the rest of the year.
“I didn’t halt progress when I came back from the injury. I was fighting through it,” he admitted. “I didn’t voice it publicly; I just wanted to be on the field and help the team. You have to use your legs. When you overload them and they’re not right, you’re not going to move the way you want to—at home plate, in the field, running, in every aspect of the game.”
The offseason also brought lineup shifts and whispers. The Dodgers added Kyle Tucker as a free agent, moving Hernandez back to left field while Tucker takes right field. There were even trade rumors swirling around Hernandez during the winter.
“I’ve been traded twice before in my career,” Hernandez noted, recalling his moves from Houston to Toronto in 2017 and then to Seattle after 2022. “Winning here is great, and I’m glad to be part of Los Angeles. I don’t want to leave, but if they feel they can make the team better by trading me, that’s the business side. My job is to play whenever I’m needed.”
Manager Dave Roberts spoke with Hernandez after Tucker’s signing, informing him that he would move to left field. Hernandez took it in stride: “That chat was short. He said, ‘You’re moving to left field.’ I replied, ‘Okay. Let’s do it.’ I’m ready to contribute in any role—the goal is to be on the field every day.”
Roberts defended Hernandez’s prior-right-field work, noting improvements this spring. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman acknowledged that Hernandez’s effort dipped at times but has risen since a late-season stretch, including an August series at Coors Field that exposed the defensive concerns.
“Teoscar looks great,” Friedman said. “I’ve seen interviews where he talked about chasing a Gold Glove. I love that ambition.”
PITCHER PROGRESS
Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani took live batting practice on Tuesday, marking Ohtani’s first plate appearances this spring and Yamamoto’s progression to two simulated innings. Yamamoto is slated to pitch in at least one Cactus League game before joining Team Japan for the World Baseball Classic, while it’s unlikely Ohtani will appear in a Cactus League game.
Ohtani reached 98 mph in his one simulated inning, with Dalton Rushing catching and describing the stuff as “electric.” Friedman indicated there was a candid discussion with Ohtani about avoiding a WBC pitching stint given his build, previous elbow surgery, and the team’s long-term plans.
The team aims to pace Ohtani’s throwing progression with an eye toward October, not just spring returns. Friedman emphasized that while Ohtani may not pitch in Japan, the Dodgers expect him to contribute as a regular in the rotation from the season’s start and to be ready for extended workloads later in the year. Ohtani himself tempered expectations, acknowledging uncertainty about how much pitching he’ll resume while representing Team Japan, but the organization remains confident he will be in the Dodgers’ rotation from early in the season.
Bottom line: Hernandez is leaner, more confident, and prepared to reclaim his left-field role amid a reshaped outfield dynamic, while the organization carefully manages its pitching workload, including Ohtani’s planned return to mound action after Japan duty.
