Teoscar Hernandez may need to put in a few extra practice reps at right field after Monday’s loss against the Colorado Rockies.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were tied with the Rockies 3-3 with one out and the bases clear in the bottom of the ninth inning at Coors Field in Denver, Colo. Rockies batter Ezequiel Tovar hit a towering pop-up to shallow right field.
The play looked like it was going to be a routine out to get the Dodgers one out away from extra innings. But Hernandez made the play look anything but routine.
The Dodgers outfielder got a brutal jump and was unable to make up for it with his legs. The ball dropped right between Hernandez and infielder Alex Freeland. Tovar ended up at second base.
The Dodgers WILL NOT win a World Series with Teoscar in right field.
pic.twitter.com/ATlOWU7FDHhttps://twitter.com/Klein25/status/1957641119413772567?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1957641119413772567%7Ctwgr%5E4e29ed94461f79be29ce2f4ffee5e9696b846172%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flarrybrownsports.com%2Fbaseball%2Fteoscar-hernandez-drop-dodgers-rockies%2F713050
The play was ruled a double, but it looked about as close to a dropped-ball error as you could get. Statcast pegged the catch probability of the play at 99.4%. Warming Bernabel hit a walk-off RBI single two pitches later.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts reacted to the play after the game, emphasizing the need for Hernandez to improve if he is to stick at right field.
“He’s got to get better out there,” Roberts told reporters. “There’s just no way to put it. I know there’s effort – it’s not a lack of effort. But the thing is, we’ve just got to get better. We do.”
The Dodgers signed Hernandez to a three-year, $66 million contract in the offseason after his stellar 2024 campaign at the plate. But even his batting numbers have taken a dip this year.
While he’s still provided the Dodgers with 20 home runs through 101 games, Hernandez’s .255 batting average is his lowest mark since 2019.
