LOS ANGELES — An MRI showed a Grade 1 left hamstring strain for Teoscar Hernández, the mildest severity. But the Dodgers left fielder is still expected to miss about a month with the injury.
“It’s going to be a month. Hopefully less than that,” Hernández said Saturday at Dodger Stadium. “The doctor told me if I would have kept pushing, it would have been worse than that, like three to four months.”
Hernández injured his hamstring running to first base on a groundout on Wednesday. The plan now is rest
and recovery until the inflammation subsides, and then start building up strength in the hamstring.
“It’s more giving him as much time as he needs, but that’s a fair timeline with a hamstring,” manager Dave Roberts said. “As you get into the summer and you have a setback, it could be more costly, but right now it’s not as costly. We’re going to be mindful of the build up, and I’m sure there’s going to be a rehab assignment to make sure things are good for him, so when he gets back to us, he can hit the ground running.”
The Dodgers called up Ryan Ward on Friday when Hernández was placed on the injured list, and plan to use the left-handed-hitting Ward with righty Alex Call in a timeshare in left field for the time being. One would imagine that Tommy Edman, currently in his first week of what’s expected to be a lengthy rehab assignment for Triple-A Oklahoma City, might see some time in left field in addition to second base once he is eventually activated next month.
Hernández compared this hamstring injury to last year’s groin injury, which first plagued him in May but lingered throughout the season.
“It’s a little different because it was on my groin. Everything that I do, I cannot use that part of the body to do it, especially in this game,” Hernández said. “I think if I get the time right and rest the way I should, the hamstring should really go soon, and I may be back on the field before the time. ”
Hernández last season before his groin injury hit .315/.333/.600 with a 155 wRC+ and nine home runs in 33 games, but after he returned hit .223/.268/.404 with an 84 wRC+ and 16 home runs over his final 101 games of the regular season. This year, Hernández is hitting .276/.348/.436 with seven home runs and a 122 wRC+ in 51 games.
Roberts preached caution this time around with Hernández.
“Fool me once,” he quipped. “He wanted to get back with us and felt he was good. And you look back and he wasn’t. We’re not going to make that mistake again.”
“I’m going to take my time,” Hernández said. “If it means a couple more weeks and then be back 100 percent, and give my best to the team all the way through the season.”
