Dodgers Could Bench All-Star Outfielder More Often Amid Struggles

The Los Angeles Dodgers' offense has been in a brutal slump early in the 2026 season. Despite the team bringing in All-Star Kyle Tucker into the mix, the offense hasn't been able to stay consistent from game to game, and it has led to some early season struggles.

Los Angeles has dropped to second place in the National League West as this team has greatly underperformed to start the year. A key piece of this has been the struggles from multiple key guys in the lineup, including veteran outfielder Teoscar Hernández.

Hernández had been a critical piece to the offense for the Dodgers over the last two seasons, but he has been a problem at the plate this year. Due to his struggles — and the emergence of outfielder Alex Call — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has said he could bench Hernández more often.

“Alex has earned more playing time, yeah,” Roberts said.

As far as Hernández?

“I do see certainly his timing is off,” Roberts said. “I think one thing is he hasn’t hit lefties like he has in the past. That’s one thing. He’s certainly missing pitches that he should hit. He’s fouling them off whether they’re spin or fastballs. I think he’s a little too passive at times, getting behind a lot early. It’s hard to hit 0-1. So I think the mechanical piece, the approach piece, there’s things that I know he’s trying to figure out.”

Overall, Hernández has hit .248 with four home runs and 17 runs batted in, while posting an OPS of .709. This has easily been his worst season as a member of the Dodgers.

Hernández has acknowledged his struggles this season, and he's been working to break out of the slump. But the Dodgers can only allow him to keep taking up at-bats for so long before a move needs to be made.

“It’s been inconsistent,” Hernández said. “Sometimes the timing is there. Sometimes it doesn’t. Like I always say, it’s part of the season. Just have to keep fighting in those at-bats, try to find the consistency with my timing.”

Hernández was dropped to the No. 8 hole on Monday against the San Francisco Giants. He recorded his first multi-hit game in over a week, going 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.

Should Alex Call Play More for the Dodgers?

If Call is given more playing time, it could help spark the offense. The outfielder has been very good for Los Angeles in limited time, hitting .308 with four runs batted in and an OPS of .848.

While Call doesn't provide the same level of power that Hernández gives the team, he would offer them more consistent at-bats. At this point, the Dodgers need to put the hottest hitters in the lineup amid the struggles from just about everyone.

Call has consistently given the team good at-bats this year, whether as a starter or pinch-hitter. If Hernández's struggles continue, it wouldn't be a surprise to see his Call's on the lineup card a little more often.

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