LOS ANGELES -- For the second time in as many nights, the Dodgers lost a position player to the injured list.
Left fielder Teoscar Hernández exited Wednesday night's 4-1 win over the Rockies at Dodger Stadium with a left hamstring strain and will be placed on the IL, manager Dave Roberts said. The Dodgers will know more about the severity of the injury after Hernández undergoes imaging, but Roberts expects him to miss "a few weeks at the minimum."
The Dodgers are expected to call up outfielder/first baseman Ryan Ward, the team's No. 19 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, when Hernández officially lands on the IL, a source told MLB.com on Thursday. Roberts mentioned Ward, who made his big league debut earlier this season, as a possibility to be called up on Wednesday, but the team has not confirmed the move.
Hernández grounded out to shortstop in his lone at-bat of the contest in the second inning. He did not look comfortable while running to first base, grabbing at the back of his left leg and moving slowly as he returned to the dugout.
On the SportsNet LA broadcast, Hernández was shown slamming his helmet in frustration in the dugout and grabbing at his hamstring once more before heading for the home clubhouse.
"Disappointing," Roberts said. "He's been playing so well, and he's a big part of what we're doing. So to lose him for any length of time is not great."
Hernández is hitting .276 with a .784 OPS, riding a surge at the plate after being dropped as low as the eighth spot in the lineup in early May. He had started all but six of the Dodgers' first 56 games in left field.
To replace Hernández, the Dodgers did not budge from their plan to give starting right fielder Kyle Tucker the day off. Instead, they had Hyeseong Kim replace Hernández in left field, where he made 44 appearances in his KBO career. Kim made 17 appearances in center field last year, but this was his first time playing left as a Dodger.
Kim put his speed to use in left, ranging into foul territory for an impressive backhanded catch at the wall in the seventh inning. He could be a left-handed-hitting option in left field, with Alex Call the top candidate to see some expanded playing time there.