Dodgers buy into Michael Conforto hope fans don’t actually believe in

No...don't get burned again...
Los Angeles Dodgers v Cleveland Guardians
Los Angeles Dodgers v Cleveland Guardians | Jason Miller/GettyImages

On Tuesday night, Michael Conforto hit his first home run since April 5 off of the usually untouchable Hunter Gaddis. It was a big one too, traveling 406 feet into center field, and hard hit at 105.9 MPH. It was a promising flash of power for a guy who desperately needed it. Going into that game, Conforto was batting .162 with a .563 OPS and has already had 'bust' allegations leveled at him.

The Dodgers came out on top thanks to Conforto, Shohei Ohtani, Max Muncy, and the bullpen, and Conforto said of the moment, "I heard Kiké as soon as I hit the ball, screaming." The reaction from Dodgers fans could probably be summed up by the now often-meme'd video of Freddie Freeman throwing his arms up and looking like someone had just told him war was over after Muncy's first homer of the season.

Dave Roberts said after the game that, "Production certainly warrants opportunity. I do feel [Conforto's] track record has given him a longer leash, which he has earned."

Okay, maybe we should slow our roll there. The homer was an encouraging sign for the Dodgers, but has he really earned a longer leash with just one swing?

Dodgers should be wary of giving Michael Conforto a 'longer leash' after hitting a single home run

Conforto also picked up a single earlier in the game, only his second hit in his last 21 at-bats. After the homer, he's still batting .172 with a .599 OPS and was left out of the Dodgers' Wednesday lineup. He's still, by far, the worst hitter amongst the Dodgers' six qualified players by most metrics (though his is tied with Ohtani for the second-most doubles behind doubles machine Freddie Freeman).

Leaving Conforto out of Wednesday's lineup might mean that the Dodgers' 'longer leash' might actually not extend too far, which is a good thing. One homer isn't going to magically change Conforto overnight — Max Muncy has made that clear since his first homer of the season — and right now, the Dodgers offense is still stronger without him.

This is a guy who was favorably compared to Teoscar Hernández at the beginning of the season but has done basically nothing to live up to expectations. It must've been a massive relief for Conforto to finally get that homer (his third of the year), but the Dodgers shouldn't take it as a magical solution.