Alex Call hits first homer in rout of Twins

Ohtani continues due deal with soreness in his biceps and his knee, and while it’s not enough to shut him down for the season, it sounds like the Dodgers are going to more careful with him and give him plenty of rest days down the stretch to ensure that he’s ready to go for the postseason. Alex Call will function as the Dodgers’ designated hitter on Thursday and will bat eighth against Quinn Mathews and the Cardinals.

They’ll take a seat against LHP Chris Sale. Alex Call will draw the start and bat seventh for Tucker; this appears to just be a routine day off. Enrique Hernández is playing third for Muncy and Muncy appears to be in some danger of losing at-bats against lefties now that Hernández is back.

Max Muncy is also taking a seat with Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez toeing the rubber for his second-half debut. It’s been a rocky opening season for Tucker in Los Angeles as he’s struggled to a lackluster .240/.335/.367 slash line with seven homers and six RBI across 394 plate appearances in 94 games. It’ll be a red-hot Tommy Edman at the hot corner and batting third with Alex Call getting a look in right field.

Tucker will get a day off against left-hander J.P. Sears, as will third baseman Max Muncy. Miguel Rojas is playing third base in Muncy’s absence, while Alex Call will handle right field with Tucker out.

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.