Jonathan Hernández accepted the Dodgers' outright assignment and reported to Triple-A Oklahoma City on July 5, 2026, ending his latest stretch on the major league roster. The move came after he cleared waivers, and it removes him from the club's active mix for now.
The timing matters because Hernández had been on the roster for about six weeks, long enough for the Dodgers to see what they had in him and decide the numbers were not helping. He worked 17 2/3 innings in 12 appearances, allowing 8.15 earned runs per nine with a 18.1% strikeout rate, a 14.5% walk rate, a 39.3% ground ball rate, a 59.1% strand rate, a 6.40 FIP and a 5.13 SIERA. Even while averaging around 97 miles per hour with his four-seamer and sinker, the results stayed below league average.
That is the part that explains why the Dodgers kept him around as long as they did. Hernández has flashed better work before, including a 2.93 ERA across 2020 and 2022 combined, but he missed 2021 while rehabbing Tommy John surgery and then posted a 5.40 ERA in both 2023 and 2024. He signed a minor league deal with the Rays for 2025 and spent most of that season on the minor league injured list before getting this opportunity with the Dodgers.
The move on July 3 sent Hernández outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City after he cleared waivers, but the open question was whether he would stay or leave. Because he has at least three years of service time or a previous career outright, he can elect free agency instead of remaining with Oklahoma City. On July 5, Alex Freedman said Hernández has decided to accept the outright assignment, which settles the immediate roster issue even if it does not settle his next step for good.
For now, Hernández is in Oklahoma City and off the Dodgers' roster. The only thing left to learn is whether this is the start of a longer minor league stay or just the pause before he tests free agency again.
