Charlie Barnes is back in the Dodgers’ bullpen picture, and Jonathan Hernández is out of it. The Dodgers recalled Wyatt Mills from Triple-A Oklahoma City on June 30, 2026 and designated Hernández for assignment as the corresponding move. That puts him on waivers immediately and cuts short a stint that lasted just over six weeks.
Wyatt Mills Joins Dodgers
The recall gives the Dodgers another right-handed arm from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Mills arrives the same day Hernández was removed from the 40-man roster, so the club did not wait to make the swap. The move shifts the active mix at once, not later in the week.
Hernández, meanwhile, had made 12 appearances since signing his major league deal. He worked 17 2/3 innings in a low-leverage role, but the run prevention never matched the opportunity. His 8.15 earned runs per nine innings sat alongside a 59.1% strand rate, an 18.1% strikeout rate and a 14.5% walk rate.
Jonathan Hernández’s Track Record
The numbers explain why the Dodgers moved on. Hernández was out of options, so the club had to remove him from the 40-man roster entirely to make the roster change. If he clears waivers, he can elect free agency because he has a previous career outright and at least three years of service time.
There was still a fastball edge in the profile. Hernández averaged about 97 miles per hour with his four-seamer and sinker, yet the hard contact and control issues outweighed that velocity. That split between stuff and results has followed him before.
In 2020, he threw 31 innings with a 2.90 ERA, a 24.8% strikeout rate, a 6.4% walk rate and a 45.7% ground ball rate. Tommy John surgery wiped out 2021, then he posted a 2.97 ERA in 2022 before back-to-back 5.40 ERA seasons in 2023 and 2024. He spent most of 2025 on the injured list in the minors.
Dodgers Roster Turn
For the Dodgers, the exchange is direct: Mills gets the roster spot, and Hernández starts the waiver process. The club had seen enough to make the move on June 30, and the transaction leaves Hernández with the same next step every designated player faces — wait for waivers to run, then see whether any team claims him or he reaches the point where free agency becomes his choice.
Charlie Barnes now sits in the middle of a roster decision that changed the bullpen mix before the month turned over. The Dodgers made the move, and Hernández’s path now runs through the waiver wire instead of the active roster.
