Teoscar Hernandez ready for Dodgers at spring training

PHOENIX — In the weeks before he reported to Camelback Ranch, Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández spent most of his days drenched in sweat at a Tampa training facility performing a series of plyometric exercises designed to reconfigure his body. 

Performing the same exercises in the same facility was Vladimir Guerrero Jr., his former teammate and 2025 World Series rival from the Toronto Blue Jays. 

The public unveiling of Guerrero’s sculpted frame happened last week in an Instagram post featuring before-and-after pictures of the All-Star first baseman. The opportunity for Hernández to display his new body came Tuesday when the Dodgers staged their first full-squad workout of the spring. 

Hernández said he lost 12 pounds over the winter, and he credited Guerrero for helping push him back into shape. 

“Obviously, he’s preparing to help his team get back to the World Series and win,” Hernández said in Spanish. “I’m doing the same thing.” 

Hernández and Guerrero have trained together in each of the last four offseasons. 

“We motivate each other,” Hernández said. “At the end of the day, I think every player needs someone with whom they feel comfortable and have good moments while training.” 

They have company. Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Adolis García of the Philadelphia Phillies, and Randy Arozarena of the Seattle Mariners use the same facility. 

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For Hernández, the drive to get in better shape wasn’t about keeping up with the likes of Guerrero and Caminero. 

This was about not wanting to endure another injury-plagued season. This was about wanting to extend his career beyond the two years that remain on his contract. This was about wanting to win a Gold Glove. 

You read that right — a Gold Glove. 

Hernández, 33, had a down year last season. 

He hit 25 home runs and drove in 89 runs in 134 games, but he batted just .247. He was a defensive liability in right field, and that’s a nice way of phrasing it. 

The culprit was easily identified: a groin strain sustained in early May. 

Hernández missed only 12 games, but he said his lower body continued to bother him for the remainder of the regular season, as well as the entire postseason. 

“I never recovered 100 percent,” he said, adding that he believed his condition affected him both on offense and defense. 

Following the World Series, Hernández said he did nothing for two months. 

“I knew my body needed rest,” he said. 

His weight loss started during this two-month period of inactivity. He said he didn’t change what he ate but learned to control his portions. He didn’t want a repeat of last season. 

“I don’t want to miss games,” he said in English. “I don’t like to miss games. I like to be on the field. 

“My whole career, I used to be 204, 205 [pounds], in that range. Last year, I was a little over, but I’m back to normal right now.” 

Hernández is under contract with the Dodgers through the 2027 season. He would like to extend his career by at least another year. 

He is a two-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion. He is a three-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He is also a former Home Run Derby champion. Before he retires, however, Hernández said he would like to win a Gold Glove. 

“I love that,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. 

Friedman was particularly encouraged by how Hernández responded to a nightmarish August game in Colorado in which he butchered two critical plays in a loss. 

“We had some conversations, and I think the effort level really stepped up in a meaningful way,” Friedman said. “And so did the performance. He was a really good outfielder from that point on. And I think there’s even more in there. The fact that he is as dedicated to it, and that it’s a goal of his, I think it increases the chances of him being a real asset out there.” 

Hernández will be moving back to left field this year to clear a place for newcomer Kyle Tucker in right. Hernández said he didn’t mind. 

“I’m ready in any way that they need me,” he said. “I just want to be there and be on the field. Just play every day.” 

Hernández also wants to remain on the team. He said he was aware of the reports that his name came up in trade talks over the winter. 

“I’ve been traded two times in my career,” he said. “Obviously, I’d never played for a team that wins. It’s good to win and be a part of this. Obviously, I don’t want to go, but if they feel they can be a better team, they’re going to do it. As much as I like to be here, for them, [there’s] the business side of it and if they feel they can be better [by] trading me, they’re going to do it.” 

Hernández is determined to offer the Dodgers an alternate reality, a world in which they are a better team because they don’t trade him. The Dodgers can now imagine such a future. All they have to do is look at him.