Alan Roden did not change Jonathan Hernández’s path, but the right-hander did report to Triple-A Oklahoma City on July 5, 2026 after accepting an outright assignment. The move pulls him off the Dodgers’ active roster after about six weeks and gives the club a cleaner bullpen picture after a waiver process that left him unclaimed.
July 5, 2026 in Oklahoma City
Jonathan Hernández accepted the outright assignment after clearing waivers, and the Dodgers’ 29 other clubs passed on the chance to claim him. That sequence matters because it left him with a choice rather than a forced trip: stay in the organization at Triple-A Oklahoma City or elect free agency, a right he has because he has at least three years of service time and a previous career outright.
17 2/3 innings for the Dodgers
Hernández’s time with the Dodgers was short and inefficient. He worked 17 2/3 innings in 12 appearances and allowed 8.15 earned runs per nine, with a 59.1% strand rate, an 18.1% strikeout rate, a 14.5% walk rate and a 39.3% ground ball rate. A 6.40 FIP and a 5.13 SIERA point the same way: the results were poor enough that the roster move was not a surprise.
97 miles per hour, different results
The friction in Hernández’s profile is obvious from the numbers. He averaged around 97 miles per hour with both his four-seamer and sinker this year and also mixed in a slider and changeup, but his recent major league line sits far below the 2.93 ERA he posted across 61 1/3 innings in 2020 and 2022, when he also produced a 22.7% strikeout rate, a 9.8% walk rate and a 54.2% ground ball rate.
He has been here before. Hernández missed 2021 while rehabbing Tommy John surgery, then put up a 5.40 ERA in both 2023 and 2024 before signing a minor league deal with the Rays for 2025 and spending most of that year on the minor league injured list. If he stays in Oklahoma City, the Dodgers keep a hard-throwing arm in the system; if he walks, the roster turn ends with one fewer live option and one more bullpen decision for the club to absorb.
