Teoscar Hernández not in Wednesday’s lineup vs. A’s

Edman had himself quite a day in Sacramento, starting with a three-run homer off Jeffrey Springs in the third inning for his first home run of the season. He then added a base hit in the fifth and drove in a fourth run with a single in the seventh before collecting his fourth hit of the day in the ninth. The 31-year-old is 15-for-38 with eight RBI so far across 11 games since coming off the injured list.

Muncy takes a well deserved break after going 2-for-5 with a solo homer and two RBI during Monday’s slugfest in West Sacramento. The 35-year-old won the first-ever Max Muncy squared showdown in decisive fashion as he continues to haunt his former organization. It’ll be Tommy Edman getting a turn at the hot corner in his absence.

Hernández returns to Los Angeles’ lineup following a nearly five-week absence recovering from a hamstring strain. He’s back in left field and hitting fifth against the Athletics on Monday night at Dodger Stadium. The 33-year-old veteran slugger homered in three of his four minor league rehab contests for Triple-A Oklahoma City. He’s cobbled together a pedestrian year at the dish by his typical standards, slashing .276/.348/.436 with seven homers, 31 RBI and two steals in 204 plate appearances through 51 games. However, his return adds some much-needed over-the-fence pop for the Dodgers as they approach the All-Star break.

The plan appears to be for him to get regular days off initially. There was some thought of Hernández returning this weekend, but the Dodgers will hold off until the series in Sacramento. Ryan Ward figures to lose his spot when Hernández is activated, and Tommy Edman will begin playing more second base at Alex Freeland’s expense.

The probability feels extremely high that Hernández will be activated from the injured list at some point this weekend or early next week. The 33-year-old veteran slugger went deep for the third consecutive rehab contest on Friday evening while playing six innings in left field. The original expectation was that he would be ready for Monday’s series opener against the Athletics, but he could potentially make it back for the final two games of their current series against the division-rival Padres.

It was Hernández’s first rehab game since going on the injured list on May 29th. He’ll likely take the rest of the week to get his at-bats in and then should return to the Dodgers lineup. That will push Ryan Ward back to the bench or the minors.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters they’re optimistic Hernández will be ready for their series opener against the Athletics on June 29. The 33-year-old veteran slugger will get a few rehab contests under his belt before returning. He’s been on the shelf recovering from a low-grade hamstring strain since late May.

Edman has started three of five games since being activated for his season debut earlier this week, while hitting .417 (5-for-12) with one extra-base hit during that span. He’s made a pair of starts at the hot corner while also appearing in left field. He figures to log some time at second base as well. Fantasy managers should anticipate the Dodgers handling his workload with caution coming off last year’s ankle surgery.

The 33-year-old slugger made it through a live batting practice session on Thursday without any issues and is creeping closer to a return. He has been shelved since May 30 due to a Grade 1 hamstring strain.

The outfielder has been sidelined since May 28th with a hamstring strain. If his live batting practice goes well, he should begin a short rehab stint next week. That means that Ryan Ward may only have a little more than one week as a starting outfielder for the Dodgers.