MILWAUKEE -- Dodgers utility man Kiké Hernández was placed on the 10-day injured list with inflammation in his left elbow ahead of Monday night's 9-1 series-opening loss to the Brewers at American Family Field. Manager Dave Roberts is hopeful that Hernández will be back in action "shortly after the All-Star break."
Outfielder James Outman was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City as the corresponding roster move. The Dodgers also selected righty reliever Julian Fernández from Oklahoma City and optioned righty Justin Wrobleski, while infielder CJ Alexander was designated for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot.
Monday's loss was the Dodgers' fourth in a row, matching their season high. They have been outscored 38-7 in that span.
"Shoot, I don’t think there’s a team in baseball that’s at full strength," Roberts said. "So I just feel that with the guys we have, we just have to play better. We got to pitch better. We got to defend better. We got to take more competitive at-bats. And we’re just not doing any of those things right now."
Roberts first told reporters in Los Angeles on Sunday that Hernández was feeling soreness in his elbow. He also mentioned that Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman were dealing with minor injuries, and both were out of Monday's starting lineup.
The latter two were hurt during Saturday's game against the Astros. Teoscar Hernández fouled a ball off his left foot and is dealing with residual soreness -- which Roberts described as a contusion -- and Edman sustained a hairline fracture in his right little toe after being hit by a pitch.
Both are potentially available to pinch-hit in the first two games of the series vs. the Brewers, and Roberts is hopeful that they will recover well enough to start in the field for Wednesday's series finale, which will also see Tyler Glasnow return to the mound after spending more than two months on the IL with right shoulder inflammation.
Roberts noted that the toe fracture would not prevent Edman from playing third base, where he and Miguel Rojas will see time while Max Muncy recovers from a bone bruise in his left knee. The toe might inhibit Edman's ability to play the outfield, but he should be able to move between second and third as needed.
Kiké Hernández has been dealing with lingering elbow soreness -- which he aggravated on an awkward slide into home plate -- since the Dodgers' series in Cleveland from May 26-28. Hernández had been receiving treatment on his elbow, including a cortisone shot, but he didn't make clear how bad it was to Roberts until this past weekend.
"At that point in time, he kept it to himself. Just wanted to be out there to compete, and it just continually got worse and really impacted his offense and the swing," Roberts said. "And so just a couple days ago, it just really reached a head where it was pretty much intolerable. He's a guy that just doesn't want to go on the IL and prides himself on being available."
Outman slashed .289/.378/.592 in 70 games with Oklahoma City. He drew the start in center field on Monday and will likely see most of his playing time against right-handed pitchers.
Wrobleski, who was hitting his stride as a long reliever, was optioned to Triple-A more because of the timing than anything else. He wouldn't have been available until the weekend after pitching 4 2/3 innings on Saturday, and he'll be eligible to be recalled again not long after the All-Star break.
Fernández allowed two runs on two hits and one walk in two innings in relief against the Brewers in his first big league action since 2021 with the Rockies. He recorded a 4.08 ERA across 28 2/3 innings with the Comets.
Alexander was claimed off waivers from the Yankees on Thursday. He played in only two games for the Comets before being designated for assignment.
The absence of Muncy in the lineup was noticeable over the weekend, when the Dodgers combined to score six runs in a three-game sweep by the Astros. Losing Kiké Hernández -- and Teoscar Hernández and Edman, albeit for a shorter period of time -- further waters down the offense.
"You can't replace All-Stars. You can't replace guys that have won MVP in postseason. You can't replace those type of things," shortstop Mookie Betts said. "The next man has to step up and do what he can do."