The Dodgers called up infielder Alex Freeland from Triple-A Oklahoma City, as expected, to fill in with Kiké Hernández placed on the injured list with a left groin strain.
Hernández missed the first 53 games of the season after left elbow surgery before returning Monday, and had four hits in four at-bats in his two games back. But he felt something in his oblique on Monday, tried to play through it, and things got worse on Tuesday, when he was pulled from the game after only four innings.
“It’s a bummer.
He’s missed a lot of time and worked hard to get back, and added that spark that we had hoped,” manager Dave Roberts said of Hernández Tuesday night. “I just feel bad for him because he wanted to be back with this, and he worked hard.
“It’s not a season-ending thing, so that’s something to be hopeful with, but yeah it’s just a bummer.”
Freeland was the odd man out when Mookie Betts returned from the injured list on May 11, and Freeland made the most of his two weeks in Triple-A. Freeland hit .265/.345/.592 with a 128 wRC+, four home runs, two triples, 16 RBI, and 11 runs scored in 11 games with Oklahoma City, and won Pacific Coast League player of the week for the period from May 11-17.
The switch-hitting Freeland with Oklahoma City hit .333/.415/.815 with both triples and three of his four home runs from the left side, his more prolific side offensively. In his parts of two seasons so far in the majors, totaling 62 games and 209 plate appearances, Freeland hit .224/.311/.346 with an 88 wRC+ as a left-handed hitter, compared to just .154/.241/.192 with a 28 wRC+ in all of 29 plate appearances batting right-handed.
On the whole, Freeland is hitting .235/.309/.337 with an 86 wRC+ with the Dodgers, and he leads the team with 33 games, 31 starts, and 262 defensive innings at second base, where he accumulated four defensive runs saved and three outs above average at the position. He starts at second base on Wednesday night.
