After disappointing 2025 seasons, Dodgers outfielders Teoscar Hernández and Andy Pages are using stellar spring training performances to erase memories of last year’s struggles and position themselves as key contributors for a World Series championship run.
While most Los Angeles Dodgers veterans have treated spring training as a gradual ramp-up following their long 2025 postseason run, two outfielders have treated camp as an urgent mission. Teoscar Hernández and Andy Pages have not only played early and often but have also delivered results that demand attention, batting over .400 while logging the most at-bats among regulars. Their aggressive approach signals a deliberate effort to flush the disappointments of 2025.
2025: A Season to Forget for Both Outfielders
For Hernández, 2025 was defined by injury and inconsistency. The veteran posted a career-low .738 OPS while playing through a nagging groin injury, a significant drop from his resurgent 2024 debut season with the Dodgers. Despite still managing 25 home runs and 89 RBIs, his .247 batting average and fluctuating health made him a Subject of trade speculation throughout the offseason as he arrived in better shape than a year ago.
Pages’ 2025 trajectory was a dramatic roller coaster. Through his first 83 games, he looked like an All-Star candidate, hitting .293 with 17 home runs and 58 RBIs. But a severe late-season slump culminated in a woeful .078 performance during the playoffs, leading to a benching for the final two games of the World Series. That October Reality check left the 25-year-old slugger determined to evolve.
Spring Reset: Aggressive Approaches Yield Results
Both players explicitly sought heavy workloads in Cactus League play, wanting to accelerate past their 2025 woes. The results have been persuasive. Hernández entered the final week of camp 15-for-31 with two home runs, including an opposite-field power display that harkened back to his 2024 form. More telling is his improved plate discipline: just four strikeouts in 33 plate appearances amid shock ratings for the Dodgers’ star-studded lineup.
Pages has been equally impressive, going 13-for-32 with five extra-base hits and showcasing the premium center-field defense that made him a starter. His transformation extends beyond the box score. He has spent roughly 30 minutes daily in the team’s hitting lab using a Trajekt machine to refine his strike-zone judgment, while also adopting what manager Dave Roberts calls a more “mature” approach to all facets of his preparation.
Why This Matters for the Dodgers’ Championship Hopes
The Dodgers’ offseason featured a landmark investment: a near quarter-billion-dollar commitment to acquire outfielder Kyle Tucker. However, Tampa Bay’s addition only intensifies the need for Hernández and Pages to become reliable, impact-producing forces in the bottom half of a lineup already loaded with MVPs and All-Stars. Neither can afford a repeat of 2025 if Los Angeles intends to convert its regular-season dominance into a championship.
Their spring performance is more than encouraging—it’s functionally necessary. Roberts praised their “aggressive” plan to log heavy at-bats, understanding that these reps are critical for building the durability and consistency the team requires. With the regular season looming, their ability to maintain this level of play could determine whether the Dodgers’ superteam construction reaches its ultimate potential.
Manager’s Confidence and Teammate’s Observations
Roberts has publicly heralded Hernández’s professional response to a turbulent offseason marked by trade rumors. “The great players expect more and are more critical of themselves,” Roberts said, noting how the two-time All-Star attacked his work. The manager’s excitement is palpable: “I’m very, very excited to see what Teo can do this year.”
Hernández, in turn, has becomes a vocal advocate for Pages’ growth, observing a significant maturation. “A few years ago he didn’t really care for the weight room,” Hernández recalled. “Now he understands the things he needs to do to manage his body and mind.” Pages himself has framed his playoff collapse as “just a really bad streak,” an attitude that reflects the mental shift both players appear to have made.
The Verdict: Ready for the Regular Season?
Spring training statistics are notoriously volatile, but the context here is compelling. Hernández’s physical recovery and swing adjustments, combined with Pages’ intentional refinement of his approach, suggest these improvements are rooted in tangible changes, not just statistical noise. Their desire for heavy at-bats—contrasting with the moderated schedules of veterans like Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani—reveals a mindset aligned with proving themselves anew.
For the Dodgers, this development is a potential season-altering bonus. While the focus remains on the megastars, the reclamation of Hernández and Pages could provide the depth and production that separates a good team from a champion. Their springs have been about more than just flashing a hot bat; they’ve been about rebuilding identity and earning trust.
“We’re just trying to keep that up,” Hernández said, “and do it in the season, too.” If they succeed, the memory of 2025 will fade quickly, replaced by the roar of a Dodgers fanbase that finally sees its outfield whole.
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