In Tuesday’s game against the San Diego Padres, the Los Angeles Dodgers were losing 11-0 after the seventh inning. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts threw in the towel, turning to outfielder Kiké Hernandez to get the final seven outs of the game for the Dodgers. While position players pitching is not new to Major League Baseball, ex-infielder Trevor Plouffe is not a fan.
On Wednesday’s episode of Talkin’ Baseball, Plouffe went on a rant about position players on the mound. He spoke about how he does not like the fact that Roberts and other managers can still get away with it. He did not pile on Hernandez for wearing a helmet on the mound, but said that it the strategy has no place in MLB.
Position players shouldn’t be pitching in real games anymore pic.twitter.com/OFKeTMGh0Y
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 12, 2025
“Something I am pretty passionate about, and we saw it on display last night is position players pitching. Needs to go,” said Plouffe. “I get it, we put rules in to try to curtail it, it hasn’t worked. I feel like I’ve seen more position players pitching than ever now. Teams are basically saying ‘we forfeit’ without actually forfeiting.”
In Plouffe’s opinion, giving managers the option to have non-pitchers on the mound is a cop-out. The Padres held such a big lead that the Dodgers simply gave up on the game. Instead of turning to another reliever, Roberts decided to save their arms.
While it might be funny for teams to have position players pitch, Plouffe worries that it impacts how fans view the game. Entertainment is paramount in MLB, but a team making a joke of a game like the Dodgers did is a bad sign for the league.
“I’d like to get that out of the game,” Plouffe said after Hernandez pitched almost three innings. “I’m just not a fan of it. I don’t think it’s good for the sport at all. It’s a bad, bad, look for the sport.”
Roberts acknowledged that having Hernandez come in the sixth inning was “awkward”. However, he made the decision in order to give his relievers an extra night of rest. Tuesday’s matchup against the Padres was a bullpen game for the Dodgers, anyway.
While Plouffe does not approve of Hernandez pitching, the outfielder did better than the reliever he replaced. Through 2 1/3 innings, Hernandez gave up just one run, bringing his career ERA to 6.
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