Dodgers Fans May Finally Get Wish as Dave Roberts Reveals Postseason Plans for $17M Slumping Star

Finally! Dave Roberts has listened. Remember that crushing loss to the Angels in Game 2 on August 12th, when the Dodgers blew a lead and lost 7-6? In the aftermath, Dodger fans erupted into a chorus calling for the DFA of their $17 million hitter. Now, it seems their voices have reached the skipper. He didn’t designate the player for assignment, but he did deliver a reality check.

The struggling $17 million man is Michael Conforto. After signing a one-year deal with the Dodgers in December 2024—hoping that his 20 home runs and .821 OPS from last May with the Giants would power the offense—Conforto’s season has gone disappointingly in the opposite direction. So far, he’s hitting just .190/.297/.331 with a 70 wRC+ and a career-worst 27.6% strikeout rate.

Now, with the postseason coming up and roster spots becoming very valuable, manager Dave Roberts finally addressed the issue. He said, “He’s an everyday guy, but I do think that where we’re at, you’ve got to perform, too, to warrant being out there every single day, regardless, right?” Skipper went on, “No one is going to be exempt. No one. I just think that we’ve got to play the best players and that’s just the way it should be, right?” 

Well, for Conforto, the struggles aren’t just limited to the plate. His defense has also been bad. In a recent three-game series against the Diamondbacks, he didn’t get any hits in important situations and messed up a liner in left field, which showed that his defense wasn’t very good. Statcast puts him in the worst 20% of players for Outs Above Average, which shows that his problems aren’t only with hitting.

Roberts has responded decisively, hinting at a major shift from the past. He drove home the point: “But the point being is, we’ve got to ramp it up and we’ve got to be better. If some other guys deserve more opportunities, then they’re going to get them. That’s just the way it should be.”

The implication is clear: only those performing at their best will get a postseason spot, and Conforto’s position in the lineup is no longer secure.

Dodgers’ accountability era: Roberts benches Teoscar Hernandez amid slump

Dave Roberts is slowly making the Dodgers’ lineup more accountable. Roberts benched veteran outfielder Teoscar Hernández for Sunday’s game against the Diamondbacks. When asked, he said, “I think he clearly hasn’t handled right-handed pitching. A two-day reset could help.” Yes, he will be back on Tuesday, but the move shows that recent contracts and good reputations won’t shield anyone from performance reviews.

Hernández’s difficulties are documented on both offense and defense. He’s only hitting .214/.258/.386 with a 76 wRC+ versus right-handed pitchers, which doesn’t read well. The problems on defense are just as obvious: he started a recent stretch with –9 Outs Above Average, which put him 36th out of 38 qualified MLB right fielders.

Things got worse for him when a bad play and a bad throw directly led to a humiliating 4–3 loss to the Rockies. The winning runs came from extra innings of bad defense. That game led to a private discussion between Roberts, Mookie Betts, and the executive office. Although Roberts said the meeting was a usual one but was it? Hard to say!

Alex Call stepped into Hernández’s spot, offering fresh energy at the plate and more reliable defense. As the Dodgers get closer to the end of the season, the urgency is evident. The only way to stay in the lineup is to perform well at the plate and in the field.