Dodgers add Jack Suwinski, place Enrique Hernandez on 60-day IL
The dodgers claimed outfielder Jack Suwinski off waivers and made a corresponding roster move that placed Enrique Hernandez on the 60-day injured list, a pair of transactions announced late Wednesday.
Claim announced at 3: 23PM; Hernandez headed to 60-day IL
At 3: 23PM Suwinski’s claim was officially announced by the Dodgers, and Enrique Hernandez was placed on the 60-day injured list in the corresponding roster move. Hernandez underwent surgery in November to repair a torn muscle in his non-throwing arm, and it was already known that the utilityman would be missing at least the first couple of months of the 2026 season.
Early report at 1: 24PM named the move
At 1: 24PM, Robert Murray of FanSided said the Dodgers are claiming outfielder Jack Suwinski off waivers. The Pirates designated Suwinski for assignment earlier this week to open up a 40-man roster spot for Marcell Ozuna.
Su winski’s recent track: breakout then struggles
The 27-year-old Suwinski has struggled mightily over the past two years following a breakout 2023 campaign. He began last season on the big-league roster but didn’t make it through April, and he ended up tallying 59 games with the Pirates and 56 games at Triple-A. Suwinski mashed in the minors to the tune of a 150 wRC+ but managed just a 55 wRC+ in 178 MLB plate appearances.
Roster crowding in Pittsburgh and a path to rebuild
With the Pirates adding outfielders Jhostynxon Garcia and Jake Mangum in separate trades this offseason, plus free agent signing Ryan O’Hearn potentially spending time on the grass, Suwinski was a long shot to contribute with the Pirates. The Ozuna addition locked up the DH spot, further limiting the chance for Suwinski to make the club. He’ll head to the Dodgers and look to rebuild his value in a different organization.
Power, contact and defensive profile
As good as Suwinski was in 2023, his swing-and-miss tendencies suggested the production was unsustainable. He hit 26 home runs and chipped in 13 steals in his first full season in the big leagues, but it came with a 32% strikeout rate. That followed a rookie year in which he hit 19 home runs in 372 plate appearances while striking out at a 30. 6% clip. Suwinski has walked at a 12. 3% rate as a big leaguer, but he hasn’t done enough of the home run part of the equation in recent seasons.
Dodgers' outfield picture and Suwinski's role
The Dodgers are set in the outfield with Teoscar Hernandez, Andy Pages, and Kyle Tucker locked into everyday roles. Pages, a right-handed hitter, has a career. 831 OPS against lefties and a. 722 OPS against righties, so there could be a platoon opportunity, but his glove is tough to take out of the lineup. Suwinski has put up -16 Defensive Runs Saved in his career as a center fielder, so he’s unlikely to be a fit in that role; pushing Alex Call for the fourth outfielder gig is his best hope to make the roster.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images
Fan reaction threaded through the report
Commenters on the story offered a mix of skepticism and optimism: one wrote that what’s huge will be the number of strikeouts Jack will make this season along with his annual batting average close to the Mendoza line. Others named the Dodgers as one of three clubs they never rule out for a rebound, with readers suggesting the Rays and Brewers as the other two. Additional comments argued it was easier to pitch around him in Pittsburgh and that Suwinski should see more hittable pitches in Los Angeles, while others noted he can’t get those pitches when he’s not on the active roster. One reader added a critical aside: "You clearly never watched Suwingandamisski. There was no pitchin".
He'll head to the Dodgers and look to rebuild his value; Enrique Hernandez’s surgery and placement on the 60-day injured list mean the team expects Hernandez to miss at least the first couple of months of the 2026 season.
