Dodgers clear waivers with right-hander Jonathan Hernández, sending him to Triple-A Oklahoma City

The Los Angeles Dodgers have sent right-hander Jonathan Hernández outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City after he was designated for assignment earlier this week, a move that indicates he cleared waivers and will no longer be on the club’s 40-man roster. Outright assignment is a roster-management decision with a clear fork in the road for the player, because Hernández can either remain in the Dodgers system and report to Oklahoma City or elect free agency if he chooses.

Hernández, 29, spent roughly six weeks on the Dodgers’ active roster and appeared in 12 games. According to his performance during that stretch, he logged 17 and one-third innings, posting an 8.15 earned runs per nine. His 59.1% strand rate did not help his case, and the underlying results were similarly rough: reported marks included a 18.1% strikeout rate, a 14.5% walk rate, and a 39.3% ground ball rate.

While ERA can be unforgiving for relief pitchers in small samples, the Dodgers still had to decide whether Hernández could provide value at the major league level. The same transaction-and-performance tracker that reported the outright move also cited 6.40 FIP and 5.13 SIERA figures during his time with Los Angeles, suggesting his results were not just a matter of luck, even if those run-prevention metrics still can carry uncertainty at midseason.

This does not end the Hernández story inside the organization. The Dodgers placed him on waivers when they designated him for assignment, and the fact that he cleared means no other club claimed him for the purpose of adding him to their own 40-man roster. The reporting indicates he is now out of options, which is why the choice to outright him matters: it typically reduces the team’s ability to shuffle a player between the majors and Triple-A without exposing him to waivers again.

In terms of what remains attractive about Hernández’s baseball profile, the reporting pointed to velocity and pitch mix as reasons teams might continue to monitor his development. It described a profile featuring four-seam and sinker fastballs that averaged around the upper 90s miles per hour, along with a slider and changeup. The same account also noted he missed the 2021 season with Tommy John surgery recovery, and it referenced stronger career outcomes during his earlier Rangers seasons before a later run of less productive results.

Whether Hernández reports to Oklahoma City or elects free agency is the next key question. Players who qualify based on service time and prior outright eligibility are typically allowed to make that choice, and the reporting indicated he can elect free agency. Even so, any minor league opportunities that follow would be shaped by his most recent major league work, along with the current organizational need for pitching at the Triple-A level.

For the Dodgers, the immediate impact is roster clarity. Moving Hernández off the 40-man opens space while keeping him in the pipeline, and the club can now evaluate alternatives for the next bullpen needs, especially as the season moves into its late-month stretch. The Oklahoma City assignment also becomes a short-term measuring point: his ability to translate major league velocity and command to consistent run prevention in the minors will largely determine whether he gets another shot with Los Angeles later.

For Hernández, the timing of the outright also reframes his path. If he stays, he must reset in Triple-A with the understanding that roster rules likely forced the club’s hand earlier this week. If he leaves via free agency, he will be looking at organizations willing to gamble on the tools while accepting that his last major league sample has been difficult.