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The Dodgers made a pair of roster moves ahead of their series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, activating reliever Jonathan Hernández and optioning right-hander Landon Knack back to the minors, per staff at Dodger Blue.

Knack’s stay on the active roster lasted just one day. He was recalled as the corresponding move when Seth Halvorsen was optioned, brought up primarily to give the Dodgers bullpen length out of the pen. With that need addressed (at least for now), Knack heads back down to continue stretching out in the minors. It’s a tough shuttle role for any young pitcher — you’re up, you’re down, and you’re never quite sure when you’ll get a real chance to settle in. Knack has shown flashes of competence at the big-league level, but the Dodgers clearly view him as depth rather than a rotation lock at this point. He’ll need to keep performing in Triple-A and wait for his next window.

Hernández is the more interesting piece here. The 28-year-old right-hander came up through the Texas Rangers organization, where he was once one of the more promising young arms in the American League. He made his debut with the Rangers in 2019 and showed real swing-and-miss stuff out of the bullpen — a hard sinker that sits in the upper 90s and a nasty slider. Injuries derailed a good chunk of his trajectory, most notably Tommy John surgery that cost him the bulk of the 2021 and 2022 seasons. When healthy, though, Hernández has the kind of arm that plays in any bullpen in baseball. His ability to generate ground balls and miss bats makes him a versatile option in middle relief or higher-leverage spots.

For the Dodgers, adding Hernández to the active roster signals they want more experienced, power arms available as we push deeper into August. The bullpen has been a patchwork operation for stretches this season, with arms cycling up and down between Los Angeles and the minors on a near-weekly basis. Hernández gives Dave Roberts a different look — a guy who can come in and throw 97 with sink, which is exactly the kind of pitch that plays well against right-handed lineups. Milwaukee’s lineup has plenty of right-handed thump, so the timing makes sense.

The bigger picture: this is a roster that’s constantly in motion. Knack going down after one day isn’t a reflection of anything he did wrong — it’s just the reality of a 26-man roster that’s trying to balance pitching depth, bullpen flexibility, and position player needs all at once. Hernández getting the nod over Knack tells you the Dodgers want arms that are ready to contribute in meaningful spots right now, not arms that are still developing. That’s the right call for a team that’s trying to win a division, not run a finishing school.

Source(s): Staff (Dodger Blue) | First reported: August 14, 2026 12:50 AM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers