Los Angeles Dodgers utilityman Enrique Hernández was placed on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation as part of a series of moves the team announced on Monday.
Hernández, 33, is not having a good offensive season, batting .195/.259/.367 with five doubles, eight home runs and 22 RBI in 186 plate appearances. However, he’s been a valuable player in the nine total seasons that he’s played for the Dodgers (three seasons in his most recent stint) because of his positional versatility.
In the 71 games he’s played this year, Hernández has appeared at first base (26 games), left field (20), second base (18), third base (10) and center field (seven).
He has even pitched in five games this season. However, Hernández has taken the mound in blowouts to preserve bullpen arms, rather than display the two-way talent of Shohei Ohtani. In 5 1/3 innings, he has allowed nine runs, 11 hits and eight walks with one strikeout.
Hernández has been dealing with the discomfort in his left, non-throwing elbow for approximately a month, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. That could be a factor in his poor hitting this season.
Outfielder James Outman was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take Hernández’s place on the active roster. In his previous major-league stints this season, Outman has batted .125/.222/.375 with two home runs and four RBI in nine games. However, in 333 plate appearances at Triple-A, he’s hit .289 with a 970 OPS, 20 doubles, 20 homers, 74 RBI and 14 stolen bases.
Additionally, the Dodgers are calling up right-handed reliever Julian Fernández, who has 32 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings with a 4.08 ERA. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski was sent down to Oklahoma City. In eight games (two starts), he compiled a 4.08 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 40 innings. Infielder CJ Alexander was also designated for assignment, four days after claiming him off waivers from the New York Yankees.
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