Teoscar Hernández homers in first Oklahoma City rehab game

Teoscar Hernández wasted little time making his first Oklahoma City rehab game look like a real step back toward Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers outfielder went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer to left field against the Reno Aces, then stayed in left field for five innings as he began the first stage of his return from a left hamstring strain.

The homer came in his second at-bat of the night, a quick signal that the 33-year-old was not just testing the leg but handling game speed again. Oklahoma City had Hernández in the middle of its road series in Reno, where the Comets opened his rehab assignment on June 23 and gave him three plate appearances in a game that doubled as an early checkpoint for his workload.

Hernández had been out since May 27, when he left a game with the strain that later sent him to the 10-day injured list on May 29. An MRI showed a Grade 1 left hamstring strain, and the Dodgers have handled the recovery with a short ramp-up rather than a lengthy stay in Triple-A. Dave Roberts said the plan was for Hernández to play four or five rehab games with Oklahoma City, putting his activation on track for the Dodgers’ series against the Athletics beginning June 29.

That timeline makes the first game more revealing than a simple box score line. Five innings in left field and a home run in his second trip came from a player who is already getting enough lower-half trust to run the bases, track balls in the outfield and drive one out to left. For a Dodgers offense that has leaned on Hernández’s right-handed power, the return plan appears to be moving on schedule.

MiLB listed Hernández as Oklahoma City’s No. 37 player on its roster page during the rehab stint, with the 6-foot-0, 215-pound outfielder marked as a right-handed hitter and thrower. The assignment began in Reno, but the more important destination is still Los Angeles, and Hernández’s first night suggested the Dodgers may not need much longer before he is back in the middle of their lineup.