Jonathan Hernández has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Oklahoma City, ending a short stay on the Dodgers’ active roster and leaving him to continue in the minors after clearing waivers.
The right-hander was sent outright on July 3, 2026, and then reported to Triple-A Oklahoma City on July 5, 2026. For the Dodgers, it is a straightforward roster move. For Hernández, it means his immediate major league status is gone for now, even if the club still has a depth arm available in the system.
Why the Dodgers moved on
Hernández had been on the Dodgers’ roster for about six weeks before the outright assignment, but the recent results made the decision easy to understand. In 2026, he has a 29-year-old profile that has not translated into reliable production, with 17 2/3 innings across 12 appearances and an 8.15 earned runs per nine mark.
The underlying numbers tell the same story. He has a 59.1% strand rate, an 18.1% strikeout rate, a 14.5% walk rate, a 39.3% ground ball rate, a 6.40 FIP and a 5.13 SIERA. Those are not the figures of a pitcher forcing his way into a major league late-inning role. They are the numbers of someone trying to stabilize his place in the organization.
That is why the waiver process mattered. Once he cleared waivers, the Dodgers could keep him as depth without taking up an active roster spot. Hernández then accepted the assignment rather than testing free agency, which keeps him tied to Triple-A Oklahoma City for the moment.
The background that explains the risk
Hernández’s career has had stretches that show why teams have continued to give him chances. He posted 61 1/3 innings with a 2.93 ERA across 2020 and 2022, with a 22.7% strikeout rate, a 9.8% walk rate and a 54.2% ground ball rate in that span. But he also missed the 2021 season while rehabbing Tommy John surgery, and the consistency has not been there in the years since.
He had a 5.40 ERA in both 2023 and 2024, then signed a minor league deal with the Rays in 2025 and spent most of the year on the minor league injured list. He has also reportedly been throwing at 97 miles per hour, but velocity alone has not been enough to change the trajectory of his results.
So the Dodgers’ choice is less about a surprise and more about a practical read on where he stands right now. The club gets roster flexibility. Hernández gets another chance to work in Triple-A. What comes next will depend on whether his current form can improve enough to make him a real major league option again.
