Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Andy Pages‘ injury is a disaster for the Dodgers, there’s simply no way around that.
He has the 12th-highest position player WAR in all of baseball, and on a team that has famously struggled to hit lately — especially against fastballs — Pages has been the team’s second-best hitter (.297/.366/.465/.831, 132 wRC+) over the past month, making center field a place they hadn’t needed to worry about all year.
Well, now it’s the biggest worry on the roster as they have to scramble to replace him in some fashion. Dave Roberts has claimed it’s not a season-ending injury, but they really don’t know yet, and even if he returns he might not be the same knowing how hand fractures tend to go.
So realistically, they need a plan to get through the rest of the season and potentially the playoffs without him. With that task, let’s look at how they could possibly get through it.
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Play Tommy Edman/Enrique Hernandez In CF/2B, Call Up Alek Thomas/Alex Freeland/Hyeseong Kim For Bench Role
Play Tommy Edman/Enrique Hernandez In CF, Call Up Alex Freeland/Hyeseong Kim To Start At 2B
These are probably the safest and thus most likely options.
While Tommy has been the regular starter at second base anyway, they could move Enrique into a more regular role from his utility one, with the two of them sharing duties in center field and at second base. Both of them have the experience and trust of the staff, and quite frankly have previously been depended upon to be productive as starters in the past and have stepped up for the team.
The core problem with that alignment is that against righties it puts Tommy, Enrique, and Teoscar in against their weaker platoon split. That is where Freeland, Kim, or Thomas could come into play for spot starts based on favorable matchups or just to give the two rather injury-prone utilitymen a bit of a breather.
Freeland can handle short and has put up an unremarkable .254/.368/.451/.819 line in the PCL, while Kim can handle short and center in a pinch, but has been straight-up bad in the PCL to the tune of a .256/.326/.343/.669 line. Either could also be given runway as a starter at second again, letting Enrique and Tommy cover center, but neither has really earned it over even something like inserting Miguel Rojas more often. Meanwhile, Thomas is probably the most likely to get a chance out of the three … we’ll get to that soon.
Alex Call is only mentioned because he has technically played center before and could be asked to now, but hasn’t really done it regularly since 2023.
Call Up Alek Thomas/Zach Ehrhard And Start Them Regularly In Center
Part of what makes Pages’ loss particularly brutal is the Dodgers don’t really have many true center fielders in the organization. Edman and Enrique can play there, but they are best used shuffling around, and as mentioned Call hasn’t done it in years.
The one they do have beside Pages? Alek Thomas, who was designated earlier this year by the Diamondbacks. In nearly three full seasons worth of plate appearances, Thomas has a .230/.273/.361/.634 line for a 75 OPS+. Zack Greinke wasn’t that far off from him with the bat. The Dodgers have seemingly tried to help Thomas hit a bit more in quieting his lower half, and he’s looked pretty good in AAA with a .296/.362/.493/.855 line. But it’s the PCL and he has hit in AAA before only to struggle in the majors, so the career +9 OAA defense is what he would be out there for.
ALEK THOMAS CRUSHES THIS BALL TO GIVE THE COMETS THE LEAD☄️ pic.twitter.com/rSfrtdb9Np
— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) August 1, 2026
There’s also Ehrhard, who isn’t a natural centerfielder, but has played there in most of his time in AAA. Bruce’s #12 prospect would be the less proven option and would require a 40-man move, but it’s also arguably the direct replacement with the most upside, as the 23-year-old is currently running a .295/.412/.481/.893 line in his first crack at the PCL. He does have notable platoon splits, however, so he would further the logjam of guys whose best matchup is against lefties.
The LED board isn't safe from Zach Ehrhard☄️ pic.twitter.com/qWTeYoJTkj
— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) August 14, 2026
Call Up James Tibbs III/Josue De Paula And Give Them Runway
Here’s something to dream on (or if you’re Dustin, something they should be doing injury or not): Recognizing that the offense is in dire straits without Pages, the Dodgers bite the bullet and go for an upside play by calling up a player that could give them a spark in the corners.
Neither Tibbs nor De Paula solve the center field problem, which would still need to be handled by one of the above options, but giving them platoon at-bats with Teoscar in left and/or spelling Kyle Tucker could provide an unexpected injection of life the bottom of the order feels like it needs.
Tibbs, Bruce’s #8 prospect, has posted a .304/.422/.566/.988 line at AAA. He was actually on pace for much better than that, as he had a 1.085 OPS through the end of May, but around that time he had a nagging forearm injury and subsequently put up a .767 OPS over the next two months. Thankfully, he seems past that now, as he’s red hot in August, posting a .394/.500/.697/1.197 line in the months.
De Paula, Bruce’s top prospect, is destroying AA to the tune of a .314/.410/.559/.969 line as a 21-year-old. Like Tibbs, he has posted a massive August of .318/.413/.714/1.128, and it’s a much longer shot that he’ll be called up from AA … but the talent and upside is sky high.
Heal Andy Pages With Magic
A last resort. Call up Frank McCourt or Jamie McCourt and ask them for Vladimir Shpunt’s number to heal him with V Energy.
The only real way to replace Pages is to heal him and have him play again, so this might be the most realistic option at this point.
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What will they do? Well, as I alluded to, usually whatever is the most risk-averse option.
I’d imagine that would be calling up Alek Thomas and putting Andy Pages on the IL in a straight swap. They would then give Thomas select starts at the position against righties, but use Tommy Edman and Enrique Hernandez at center and second as often as they can with Miguel Rojas worked in more often.
Boring? Yes, but for better or worse, they believe in their veterans and will trust them to figure out it out. This options requires the least roster shuffling and least boat rocking. It’s also a little over a week until rosters expand, which is when they can perhaps (but probably not) look into giving guys like Ehrhard and Tibbs at least a limited look.
On that note … hey, Alek has done it in the playoffs before.
