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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts put the team’s right-handed hitters on notice, saying the club needs more production from that side of the lineup with Andy Pages sidelined, per staff reporting at DodgerBlue. Pages underwent a minor procedure last week to insert a screw into his fractured left hand — an injury sustained when he was hit by a pitch from Pittsburgh’s Bubba Chandler — and is expected to miss four to five weeks.

Pages had been one of our most productive right-handed bats this season, establishing himself as an everyday presence in the outfield and providing legitimate pop from the right side. Losing him for over a month creates a real hole. He’s a guy who was settling into a rhythm and showing the kind of consistency we’d been hoping for since he first cracked the big league roster. A fractured hand is no small thing for a hitter, either — even after the bone heals, getting the feel and confidence back at the plate takes time. The timeline puts his return somewhere around late September, right when we’d be gearing up for October.

Roberts’ message was direct: the right-handed bats already on this roster need to pick up the slack. That puts the spotlight squarely on guys like Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, and whoever fills in across the outfield. Betts has been his usual elite self, but one player can’t carry an entire side of the lineup. Muncy has had his ups and downs this year, and this is the kind of stretch where the Dodgers need him to be the version of himself that changes at-bats and wears down pitchers. Enrique Hernández, who’s been part of the center field plan in Pages’ absence, also hits from the right side and could see more reps in spots where Roberts wants that matchup advantage.

I think the bigger picture here is something Roberts understands well: this lineup skews heavily left-handed. Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker, Shohei Ohtani, Alek Thomas — that’s a lot of left-handed lumber. When you lose a quality right-handed bat like Pages, it makes it easier for opposing managers to stack left-handed relievers late in games without much fear. That’s a tactical disadvantage we can’t afford heading into September.

The Dodgers are riding a six-game winning streak and sitting in a strong position, but Roberts clearly isn’t interested in coasting. His public callout of the right-handed hitters feels intentional — a way of setting expectations now rather than waiting for a problem to fester. This roster has the depth to absorb the Pages loss, but only if guys on the right side actually produce. No one’s going to replace Pages’ exact production, but the collective effort from that side of the plate needs to be better. Roberts said it plainly, and now we’ll see who responds.

Source(s): Staff (DodgerBlue) | First reported: August 25, 2026 5:30 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers