Alex Call hits first homer in rout of Twins

No surprise here after Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters earlier this week that Tucker was likely to miss the rest of their series against Minnesota due to lower back spasms. It’ll be local product Alex Call getting another turn in right field on Wednesday evening at Target Field. The 29-year-old fantasy standout could use the extra rest to get back on track physically and work on making adjustments with his swing. He’s hit just .196 (21-for-107) with just two homers and three steals over his last 30 games. It doesn’t sound like Tucker will require a trip to the injured list and he could be ready to return for Friday’s series opener against the division-rival Padres.

Tucker receives some extra time off to rest and recover after making an early exit from Monday’s series opener in Minnesota with lower back spasms. He told reporters that he’s pretty confident he’ll avoid a trip to the injured list, which is mildly encouraging at least. The 29-year-old fantasy stalwart has scuffling at the dish recently, hitting .196 (21-for-107) with just two homers and three steals over his last 30 games. It’s possible a brief reset could help him regain his timing and get back on track at the plate. It’ll be Alex Call taking over in right field on Tuesday night in his place.

Tucker walked and advanced to second base on Tommy Edman’s single before being lifted for a pinch-runner in the second inning. It doesn’t appear to be a significant concern, but the Dodgers obviously weren’t going to take any chances with his health. The 29-year-old has been scuffling at the plate in recent weeks, hitting .212 (14-for-66) with two homers and two steals since the start of June. There should be an update on his status following the contest.

Hernández left last night’s game with a left hamstring strain and figures to miss multiple weeks. The 33-year-old corner outfielder had produced an .892 OPS in a resurgent May. Alex Call would figure to get more playing time going forward if Hernández’s injury doesn’t force the Dodgers into thinking about some of their better prospects, like James TIbbs III, who has a 1.028 OPS in Triple-A Oklahoma City with 12 home runs.

Tucker will get a day off even with right-hander José Soriano on the bump for the Angels. The 29-year-old will rest with Alex Call starting in right field and hitting eighth.

Teoscar Hernández is at DH with Alex Call taking over in left field. Ohtani had been scuffling at the plate, hitting .200/.321/.300 with one home run over his previous 26 games before going deep off Giants starter Adrian Houser during Tuesday’s contest. The Dodgers are making a concerted effort to reduce the 31-year-old two-way sensation’s workload to keep him fresher at the plate moving forward. He’ll get a full day off Thursday before returning for Friday’s series opener against the Angels.

Dodgers’ skipper Dave Roberts noted that it’s a planned day off for Hernández and that he could get a few more days off going forward as the 33-year-old slugger works his way out of an early-season slump. Alex Call will start in his place in left field and will bat sixth against Braves’ right-hander Bryce Elder.

It’s an extremely rare day off for Pages with Alex Call taking over in center field. The 25-year-old fantasy standout has been an extremely impactful fantasy contributor this season, slashing .370/.416/.605 with five homers, 21 RBI and four steals in 22 games. He leads the majors in both hits (30) and RBI during that span.

Tucker, who went 3-for-5 with his third round-tripper of the season on Sunday, receives his first day off since April 5 with Colorado throwing veteran lefty Jose Quintana at Coors Field. Alex Call gets a chance to patrol right field in his place.

It’s unfortunate for fantasy managers that he’s getting his breather against Michael Lorenzen and at Coors Field, but Hernández deserves a day off every once in a while. Alex Call will start in his place in left field and bat sixth for the Dodgers while Ryan Ward makes his big league debut, starting at first base and batting seventh.