Saturday, June 13, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

Over the last month, the Dodgers have lost many key position players to injuries.  No one knows when they will be back. However, with an 8-game lead in the National League West, no one should be concerned.

Teoscar Hernández suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain on May 27, and most people think he will miss about a month.

Since Hernández is a right-handed hitter in the left-handed-dominated lineup, the Dodgers are missing their left fielder. Andy Pages has tried to make up the slack while he is mired in a slump. Mookie Betts hasn’t displayed much power since he broke his hand in June 2024. Alex Call has performed well in Hernández’s absence, but he never had much power.

Kiké Hernández tore his oblique in his second game back from significant left elbow surgery. The Dodgers hope he will return after the All-Star break. On Tuesday, they expect to activate Tommy Edman from the IL after having offseason ankle surgery. Switch-hitting Edman should contribute to the offense.

On Thursday, the Dodgers placed Will Smith on the IL with a stiff neck. He hadn’t played since Saturday. He hasn’t performed at the plate at the level the Dodgers have come to expect. In 52 games, he has a .249 batting average with 6 home runs.

Although Smith’s backup, Dalton Rushing, has made tremendous strides, the Dodgers miss their primary catcher’s steadiness and flair for the dramatic. The pitching staff’s performance has seemed less steady since Smith has been out.

Rushing has had better offensive production with a .277 batting average and 8 homers than Smith, but he is left-handed. Right now, the Dodgers’ lineup is vulnerable to left-handed pitching.

Shohei Ohtani left Thursday’s game with left knee inflammation. On Friday morning, imaging revealed no structural damage.  Ohtani had surgery on the same knee to correct a birth defect, and this inflammation is unrelated. He missed Friday’s game against the surprising Chicago White Sox. Depending upon how the troublesome knee responds to treatment, he may miss Saturday’s game.

Any time anything happens to Ohtani, the Dodgers, their fans, and the entire baseball world worry about the best player on the planet. Without Ohtani, the Dodgers don’t have much power. They don’t have their pitching ace if Ohtani can’t make his next start on Wednesday.

Injuries are common in baseball. Every major-league team has them. The successful teams have depth to help with the injuries, and the Dodgers have incredible depth. If they can’t hold onto an 8-game lead, they don’t deserve to be in the postseason.