The Dodgers announced they’ve selected right-hander Elieser Hernández onto the MLB roster. Los Angeles also recalled righty Eduardo Salazar from Triple-A Oklahoma City. In corresponding moves, the Dodgers optioned Gus Varland and designated reliever Nabil Crismatt for assignment.
L.A. adds a pair of fresh arms for what’ll be a bullpen game this evening in San Francisco. Neither Hernández nor Salazar has pitched for OKC in at least four days. They’ve each been working from the rotation in Triple-A and should be available for multiple innings. Hernández will take the ball first tonight.
In doing so, he will pitch in a major league game for the first time since 2022. It’ll also be his first appearance for a team other than the Marlins. Hernández spent parts of five seasons with Miami, where he generally worked in a swing role. He typically posted strong strikeout and walk rates and found some success between 2020-21. Hernández always struggled with the home run ball, though, and he was tagged for a 6.35 ERA while allowing nearly three homers per nine over 20 appearances in 2022.
Miami traded Hernández to the Mets over the 2022-23 offseason. He never pitched at the MLB level for New York. A shoulder strain essentially wiped out his ’23 campaign, leading the Mets to waive him at the end of last year. He joined L.A. on an offseason minor league contract and has gotten out to a strong start with Oklahoma City.
Over six appearances in the Pacific Coast League, the Venezuelan-born hurler carries a 2.83 ERA. He has fanned nearly 30% of batters faced against a 7% walk rate. Hernández has only surrendered a pair of homers in 28 2/3 innings this season, although he remains an extreme fly-ball pitcher.
Hernández has more than five years of major league service time. The Dodgers can’t option him back to Triple-A without his consent. It’s not out of the question that he’ll be taken off the 40-man roster again in fairly short order, but his strong work in OKC at least makes it a possibility they’ll keep him in the majors as a long reliever.
Crismatt also can’t be optioned, so the Dodgers had to designate him for assignment to remove him from the MLB roster. The 29-year-old righty has pitched well in limited action for Los Angeles. Crismatt has tossed seven innings of three-run ball, striking out six against one walk. He has pitched in two of the past three days, though, so he may not have been an option for much work tonight.
The Dodgers will have a week to trade or waive Crismatt. He has cleared waivers a few times in his career, once as recently as last month. He’d have the right to decline an outright assignment in favor of free agency if he again goes unclaimed, although he accepted the minor league assignment in April.
solaris602
I figured there would be transactions today as shaky as Crismatt was last night in the 9th.
Americanentropy
Yikes… bottom feeders.
DarkSide830
LET Crismatt play!
BlueSkies_LA
Even in the parade of nobodies who’ve come through this bullpen these guys are invisible. With any luck Yarbrough gets the bulk.
halloffamernobodycares
@blueskies not a bad outing at all for a throw away game. Giants made a couple plays, got some home cooking on that HR/flyball that clanked down on the overhang in RF. Muncy strikes out with 1 out and runner on third. That’s baseball. Encouraged by both of the pitchers, who we may never even see again, and now they go home with a rested pen and see what the Reds have.
Damn, I love baseball.
I know you know, but some days are just gonna go like that.
BlueSkies_LA
Bases loaded, actually. I don’t think many fans are into the concept of throwaway games. Every win counts for as much now as it does in September. Friedman is definitely into the concept of throwaway players, though. Not what the fans pay to see either, IMO.
halloffamernobodycares
I looked at it as an opportunity with the series already won to rest the bullpen, rotation and run out a couple arms we may never see again and hope something good happens. In the end, .667 isn’t any different than a .686 win percentage when it comes to the end of the season and winning the division. With the arms the Dodgers are trying to keep/get healthy, it won’t matter whether they’re pitching at home or on the road.
We’ve seen all it takes is to make the tournament and anything can happen and the Dodgers are certainly on pace to make the tournament.
Americanentropy
Not sure of it’s confidence/arrogance or ? to start with load management so early in the season. I’d be rather disappointed had I bought tix expecting to see Glasnow pitch.
taran7
Glasnow is pitching like a Cy Young candidate. I don’t care if he pitches every ten days if it keeps him healthy for playoffs. LA is not interested in a repeat of the awful starting we got in last years playoffs.
Americanentropy
Guess that extra day off for load management did Glasnow a world of good vs. Reds. There is something to be said for routine.
taran7
I don’t know why my comments post twice. It’s so irritating.