The Dodgers have moved right-hander Jonathan Hernández off the 40-man picture and onto the Triple-A Oklahoma City roster, with MLB.com’s transactions tracker showing he was outrighted after clearing waivers. He had been designated for assignment earlier this week, and while he does have the option to elect free agency, it’s not yet known whether he’ll take it.
Hernández, 29, spent roughly six weeks with Los Angeles and appeared in 12 games, working 17 2/3 innings in a low-leverage role. The run prevention was rough: he posted an 8.15 ERA.
A 59.1% strand rate didn’t do him any favors, but the underlying numbers weren’t much kinder. His 18.1% strikeout rate, 14.5% walk rate and 39.3% ground ball rate all landed below league average, while his 6.40 FIP and 5.13 SIERA suggested he was better than the ERA, just not by much.
Because he’s out of options, the Dodgers had to make a roster call, and he was the odd man out a few days ago. No other team claimed him, so he cleared waivers and now faces a decision: report to Oklahoma City or test the market.
Players with at least three years of service time or a previous career outright can refuse an outright assignment, and Hernández qualifies on both counts. Given how this season has gone, he’d likely be looking at minor league offers either way.
There is still some appeal in the arm itself. Hernández has averaged about 97 mph with both his four-seamer and sinker this year, and he also mixes in a slider and changeup.
His best work came with Texas, where he turned in useful stretches before injuries and inconsistency took over. He missed 2021 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but his 2020 and 2022 seasons together produced 61 1/3 innings with a 2.93 ERA, a 22.7% strikeout rate, a 9.8% walk rate and a 54.2% ground ball rate.
The slide has been steady since then. He posted a 5.40 ERA in both 2023 and 2024, then signed a minor league deal with the Rays for 2025 but spent most of that year on the minor league injured list. This year’s stint with the Dodgers didn’t change the story much.
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