Seattle Mariners outfielder Teoscar Hernandez is back in the starting lineup Wednesday afternoon to take on Boston Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford. Hernandez was held out of the starting lineup for Tuesday night's contest due to the outfielder drawing significant interest prior to the MLB trade deadline but the club ended up hanging on to their powerful right-handed bat. However, Hernandez hasn't been at his best this season, hitting .238 with 16 homers, five stolen bases, and a .694 OPS across 106 appearances on the season. The outfielder has also seen his walk rate dip to 5.6% while his strikeout rate has risen to a hefty 32.1% clip. The 30-year-old is scheduled to hit free agency at season's end.
Teoscar Hernandez Drawing Interest From At Least Six Teams
Seattle Mariners outfielder Teoscar Hernandez is drawing trade interest from at least half a dozen teams, and a trade is increasingly likely before the deadline on Tuesday, Aug. 1, according to sources. The Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants are among the teams that have been involved. The Giants already traded for former Mariners outfielder AJ Pollock on Monday, so they could be out of the running now. The 30-year-old was originally traded from Toronto to Seattle in the offseason, and return to the Jays would make him even more attractive in a better offense and hitting environment. Hernandez strikes out a great deal with a league-leading 141 K's, and he's slashing .238/.288/.408 with 16 homers, 17 doubles, two triples, 58 RBI, five steals and 45 runs scored in 105 games.
Teoscar Hernandez, Mariners Take Loss Versus Twins
Seattle Mariners outfielder Teoscar Hernandez went 1-for-4 with a strikeout last night versus Minnesota. The Mariners are in fourth place in the AL West and have lost three of their previous five games. Over that five-game span, Hernandez is batting .100/.100/.150, with two hits and one RBI. The Mariners face Twins' right-hander Kenta Maeda in Seattle Wednesday. Versus righties this season, Hernandez is batting .228/.295/.377, just below the team's slash line of .228/.312./389. Fantasy managers should be concerned and monitor these numbers as we progress through the second half of the season. Despite his struggles, fantasy managers should continue to start Hernandez as he will look to turn things around beginning with Wednesday's game.
While the overall numbers are still usable for fantasy baseball managers, there are plenty of warning signs that Seattle Mariners outfielder Teoscar Hernandez is slowly declining at the plate as he sits halfway through his age-30 season. Hernandez has appeared in 79 games thus far, so assuming good health, all counting stats can be easily doubled to predict his potential end-of-season numbers. The two-time silver slugger sits at 15 homers with a .250 batting average. Fantasy managers can live with that, just as they'll take his 35 runs, 46 RBI, and four stolen bases thus far. However, a career-low 5.2% walk rate paired with his highest strikeout rate since 2019 (32.6%) with a .330 BABIP suggest that .250 is about right for him in terms of average. The hard hit rate is almost five percentage points lower than last year, and the former Blue Jay is pulling the ball less. I will be surprised if Hernandez makes it to 30 bombs this season, both due to trends and potential injuries. If fantasy managers can sell the aging veteran power hitter for a younger, up-and-coming source of power with better batting average like Bryan Reynolds or Jazz Chisholm Jr., now might be the time to try and pull it off.
Teoscar Hernandez Heating Up, Mashes Third Homer This Month
Seattle Mariners outfielder Teoscar Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI as the club edged the Chicago White Sox 3-2 on Friday. The 30-year-old has come along very slowly during his Seattle debut season, but he's finally beginning to brew lately. Hernandez is hitting .366 (15-for-41) with seven extra-base hits and 10 RBI over his last 11 outings. Fantasy managers hope to see the two-time Silver Slugger continue this prosperity so as to maintain his spot in the cleanup position of the lineup. It's worth mentioning Hernandez has only stolen two bases since April 10, so there's still another dimension of his game yet to be fully grasped.
Seattle Mariners outfielder Teoscar Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two RBI, and a strikeout in a 4-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday. Hernandez broke up a 1-1 tie in the top of the sixth inning when he muscled a Brent Honeywell offering over the wall in center field. The 30-year-old slugger would then add to Seattle's lead in the top of the eighth inning when he singled in Ty France. It's been an up-and-down season so far for Teo but he's collected nine hits over the last seven games and seems to be heading in the right direction. For the season, he's slashing .246/.283/.422 with 10 home runs, 32 RBI, and three stolen bases over 232 at-bats.
Teoscar Hernandez Goes 1-For-4 As Mariners Lose Second Straight
Seattle Mariners outfielder Teoscar Hernandez went 1-for-4 on Tuesday, as his team lost their second straight game against the New York Yankees. Hernandez signed with the Mariners this past offseason but has struggled to find his form a bit in the early going. In 55 games, the 30-year-old outfielder has hit .234 and has an on-base percentage of .272. He has tallied 50 hits, nine home runs, and 28 RBI. His numbers have fallen from last year, but the good news is he's been better in May (.260 average, four doubles, two homers, 12 RBI) and has hit safely in six of his last seven games. Fantasy managers will be hoping he can carry this momentum into June.
Teoscar Hernandez Dropped To No. 7 Spot, Goes Hitless
Seattle Mariners outfielder Teoscar Hernandez went 0-for-4 during Wednesday's loss to the Rangers. The 30-year-old is hitting just .180 (9-for-50) with a lone homer and RBI over the last two weeks of action, causing him to fall to the seventh spot of the Mariners lineup for the first time this season. It could be time to field fantasy buy-low offers on the two-time Silver Slugger, who owns a very strong expected weighted on-base average on contact of .487, per Statcast. The speedy right fielder also has just one stolen base in two attempts on the campaign. Hernandez will get to face two left-handers during an upcoming weekend series against Detroit, and he's slugging .700 in 30 at-bats against southpaws in 2023.
Seattle Mariners outfielder Teoscar Hernandez went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in a 7-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. The Mariners couldn't muster much on offense, plating just three runs. Hernandez was responsible for two of the M's 14 team strikeouts. Despite the hitless effort on Sunday, Hernandez had a solid series against the Cards, swatting a pair of home runs. Overall, the 30-year-old slugger is slashing .244/.283/.453 with five home runs, 13 RBI, and one stolen base across 86 at-bats. It's been a bit of a slow start for the former Blue Jay but Seattle's cold, damp April weather may have something to do with it. He should be just fine moving forward.
