Dodgers' roster move for Teoscar Hernandez injury gives prospect second chance

Teoscar Hernández exited the Dodgers' Wednesday night game against the Rockies in the bottom of the second with a left hamstring strain. After hitting the ball right at shortstop Ezequiel Tovar in what turned into his only at-bat of the day, he ran through first and and limped into right field before heading back to the dugout while grabbing his leg.

Despite the Dodgers' spotty track record in terms of injury updates, Dave Roberts didn't even try to remain optimistic after the game. He confirmed that Hernández will be going onto the IL and will miss "a few weeks at minimum."

He added that Alex Call will get some more starts in left field, which was to be expected, but he declined to comment on who would be added to the active roster in Hernández's stead.

Ryan Ward, who Roberts acknowledged was having a "nice season" in Triple-A, and Alek Thomas were the two obvious suspects. On Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic confirmed that fan favorite Ward will get another shot in the majors after a two-game stint during Freddie Freeman's paternity leave in mid-April.

Ryan Ward recalled as Teoscar Hernández goes onto Dodgers' IL with a hamstring strain

Ward has been having a nice season in Triple-A, though his power is down from its previously astronomical heights. In 47 games, he's hitting .254 with a .797 OPS; his .418 slugging is down exactly 100 points from where it was on May 28 last year.

But the Dodgers have already seen Ward conduct himself through a major league at-bat and succeed (his first MLB hit was an RBI single), while Thomas has yet to play a game in Triple-A.

And Ward might actually get a decent runway this time. Everyone knew he wasn't long for the active roster when Freeman was out on paternity, but Hernández could be out for more than just a few weeks. Tommy Edman is currently in a rehab assignment and expected to be back in three weeks, so Ward could find himself involved in the Hyeseong Kim-Alex Freeland roster battle ... or he could set himself apart and leave the battle of mediocrity to those guys.

Although it's a shame that Hernández had to go down like this just when he was starting to get hot again, at least the Dodgers actually have another way to get a longtime fan favorite some more opportunities.

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