SACRAMENTO –– When Teoscar Hernández first suffered his hamstring strain in late May, he hoped to only spend roughly a month on the injured list.
A month and two days later, he was back in action right as scheduled.
The Dodgers activated Hernández, the two-time All-Star outfielder and veteran slugger, from the injured list on Monday afternoon ahead of their series-opener against the Athletics.
After getting hurt on May 27, the 33-year-old outfielder returns to the team looking to pick up where he left off before his injury, when hit .325 in May with three home runs, 14 RBIs and an .882 OPS.
With Hernández returning, the Dodgers optioned rookie outfielder Ryan Ward back to triple-A, after his batting average dipped to .218 during his first extended stretch in the majors. Ward had a few nice moments, including his first three career MLB home runs. But now, the everyday job in left field will shift back to Hernández.
Hernández did not start this 2026 season well, slumping mightily through most of April and early May with a .202 average during one 28-game stretch.
However, after being dropped to the No. 8 spot in the batting order on May 11, he finally began to turn a corner, collecintg 20 hits in his next 55 at-bats while snapping a nearly month-long home run drought with three in a six-game span.
That made his hamstring strain, which he sustained while trying to leg out an infield single, a frustrating setback.
But unlike last year, when Hernández returned too quickly from a mid-season groin strain and struggled over the second half of the campaign, both he and the team were mindful to let him fully heal.
That plan seemed to work, with Hernández hitting three home runs in a four-game rehab stint with triple-A Oklahoma City last week.
And now he’s back, giving the Dodgers a key piece of their lineup again amid a first half that has seen plenty of injuries.
