Dodgers Claim Jack Suwinski From Pirates, Place Kiké Hernández on 60-Day IL

The Los Angeles Dodgers claimed outfielder Jack Suwinski off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Feb. 21, 2026, then placed utilityman Kiké Hernández on the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot. The move addresses a short-term hole in center field while Tommy Edman begins the year on the injured list and Andy Pages is penciled in as the projected starter.

The claim was first flagged on social media when Robert Murray posted on X, “Sources: The Dodgers have claimed Jack Suwinski off waivers from the Pirates,” and team transaction logs later reflected the roster change. Pittsburgh had designated Suwinski for assignment earlier in the week to make room for designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, then placed him on waivers, allowing Los Angeles to submit and win a claim.

Suwinski, 27, arrives with a one-year, $1.25 million arbitration-avoidance contract that the Pirates signed this offseason and with no remaining Minor League options. MLB noted that being out of options means Suwinski must make the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster or face waivers again, an immediacy that gives Los Angeles a quick decision to make in spring camp.

On the field, Suwinski’s big-league track record is mixed. MLB lists his four-season major-league slash with Pittsburgh at .199/.305/.389. SportsNet cited year-by-year falloff after a 2023 peak when Suwinski hit .224 with 26 home runs and 74 RBIs; in 2024 he hit .182 with nine homers, and last season he posted a .147 average with three homers. Newsweek summarized the recent slide as a .568 OPS and -2.1 bWAR across 147 games since the start of 2024, while also noting that some early peripherals have held up. “However, those impressive peripherals Suwinski demonstrated early on, like a walk rate well above 10% and a hard-hit rate hovering around 40%, have not dipped too sharply since the end of 2023,” Newsweek wrote.

That mix of power upside and declining results explains why the Dodgers took the shot. MLB emphasized Suwinski’s ability to play center field as the feature that provides an outside chance to break camp, and listed Hyeseong Kim and Michael Siani as internal depth options the club has discussed for the position while Edman rehabs. Bucs On Deck also noted that adding Suwinski gives Los Angeles another left-handed hitting outfielder on the 40-man roster, a roster composition point the site highlighted by naming Kyle Tucker, Michael Siani, and Ryan Ward alongside Suwinski.

From Pittsburgh’s side, the DFA was tied directly to the Ozuna signing and a crowded outfield picture. SportsNet and MLBTR pointed to offseason additions including Ozuna, Ryan O’Hearn, Jake Mangum, and Jhostynxon Garcia as moves that squeezed Suwinski’s path. Bucs On Deck also ran a spring-training roundup that included the Pirates’ 8-2 Grapefruit League opening win, with Endy Rodriguez and Ryan O’Hearn homering and Wilber Dotel throwing two innings.

With Suwinski out of options and a one-year pact in hand, his fate will hinge on Dodgers spring evaluations. Newsweek framed that reality bluntly: “Suwinski will be in a tight battle to make the Dodgers' opening day roster, and it's possible Los Angeles might never put him into a regular-season game. Such is the nature of the waiver claim process these days.” Los Angeles will decide in March whether Suwinski’s remaining peripherals and left‑handed pop are enough to hold a 26-man roster spot or whether another waiver trip awaits.