37 Teoscar Hernandez CF

Hernandez (groin) will start in right field and hit sixth in Tuesday's spring game against the Yankees, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Hernandez saw DH duty Monday after a missing of week of action but will start in the outfield a day later, signaling he has put his injury behind him a couple weeks before Opening Day.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said that Hernandez (groin) could be ready to play the outfield as soon as Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Montoyo noted that Hernandez is feeling better after tweaking his groin last week, which explains the team's decision to include him in the lineup for Monday's split-squad game with the Pirates as a designated hitter. Assuming he makes it through that contest unscathed, Hernandez should be able to reclaim a spot in the outfield by the end of the week. Hernandez doesn't look in any real danger of missing Opening Day.

Hernandez (groin) will serve as the designated hitter in Monday's split squad game against the Pirates.

Hernandez missed a week of games because of his injury, but he is ready to return to the lineup. While his placement in the DH spot indicates he is being eased back into action, that could also be the role he will fill when the regular season begins later this month.

Hernandez has been held out of game action with groin soreness, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

It's unclear when exactly Hernandez was first bothered by the injury, but he hasn't seen Grapefruit League action in at least a few days. The injury isn't believed to be severe, but the 27-year-old has no official timetable for his return.

General manager Ross Atkins said Tuesday that Hernandez has been working out at first base during the offseason, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Hernandez has exclusively played the outfield during his nine-year professional career, but he looks like he'll at least be in line to experiment at first base during spring training in any attempt to add some versatility. Atkins also said that Hernandez has been taking grounders at second base, but the 27-year-old is being viewed as more of an emergency option at that position. Hernandez delivered some interesting counting stats -- namely, 26 home runs and six steals -- in his 464 plate appearances a season ago, but his .230/.306/.472 slash line (102 wRC+) barely made him a league-average contributor from a real-life standpoint.

Hernandez went 2-for-3 with a homer, two runs and three RBI in Sunday's season finale victory over the Rays.

Hernandez's homer, a three-run shot off Yonny Chirinos in the fourth inning, gave him 26 for the season. He'll finish the year with a .230/.306/.472 slash line, good for a 102 wRC+. That number looks better for a center fielder than for a corner outfielder, and Hernandez did make the majority of his starts in center, but he graded out quite poorly there according to both DRS and UZR. A league-average bat on a player who really should be playing an outfield corner sure looks like a fourth outfielder, though the Blue Jays may not have the players to push him to a bench role next season.

Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, a double and a walk Friday against the Rays.

Hernandez brought his club within a run in the seventh inning with a two-run shot over the wall in right field, but Tampa Bay would go on to clinch a postseason berth with a 6-2 victory. He sits with 24 home runs, 61 RBI and five stolen bases over 123 contests this year.

Hernandez is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Orioles.

Hernandez will head to the bench after going 1-for-7 in Monday's extra-innings victory against Baltimore. In his place, Anthony Alford is starting in center field and hitting eighth.

Hernandez went 1-for-6 with a three-run home run Wednesday against the Orioles.

Hernandez took Shawn Armstrong deep in the seventh inning to record his 23rd home run of the season, setting a new career high. On the other hand, he continued his season-long struggle to make contact by whiffing three times. Now striking out at a 34.0 percent clip, Hernandez is hitting just .219/.292/.440 across 435 plate appearances for the campaign.

Hernandez is not in the lineup Thursday against the Red Sox.

Hernandez will sit for the second time in three games as the Blue Jays go with an outfield consisting of Derek Fisher, Randal Grichuk and Billy McKinney (from left to right). Since the beginning of September, Hernandez is slashing just .167/.200/.333 with one home run and a 56 percent strikeout rate.

Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Hernandez took Travis Lakins deep in the fifth inning for his 22nd homer of the season. He'd been in a slump entering the contest, managing only two hits and striking out 13 times in his last 20 at-bats. For the season, Hernandez owns a subpar .218/.294/.445 line across 412 plate appearances.

Hernandez isn't in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Red Sox.

Hernandez is set for a night off after going 0-for-8 at the dish over his last three contests. Jonathan Davis will start in center field and hit eighth.

Hernandez is not in the lineup Saturday against the Rays, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

Hernandez owns a poor .167/.245/.354 slash line over his last 16 games, striking out in 43.4 percent of his plate appearances over that stretch. Jonathan Davis will get the start in center field Saturday.

Hernandez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

He'll take a seat after going 1-for-4 with his 21st home run of the season and two RBI in Saturday's 6-4 win. Hernandez, who concluded August with a .224/.337/.513 slash line to go with 13 RBI and 15 runs in 25 games, will cede his usual spot in center field to Randal Grichuk in the series finale.

Hernandez is not starting Tuesday against Atlanta.

Hernandez has gone just 3-for-20 at the plate over his last eight games. Randal Grichuk slides to center field in his absence, with Billy McKinney in right.

Hernandez went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two runs scored and a pair of walks in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Mariners.

Hernandez's blast off Mariners starter Felix Hernandez got the Blue Jays on the board in the third inning. He also scored the first run in a four-run seventh inning, coming around on a Billy McKinney double after getting aboard with a walk. The center fielder is hitting .224/.302/.455 with 20 homers, 50 RBI and 48 runs scored. He needs just two homers to match his career high from last year.

Hernandez is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Dodgers.

Billy McKinney will get another start in the outfield, with Randal Grichuk shifting to center. Hernandez went hitless in the first two games of the series and is now batting just .212 with 22 strikeouts this month. Despite all the whiffs, Hernandez's August OPS still sits at a respectable .809 on the strength of four homers and eight walks. He will likely be in the lineup most days down the stretch.

Hernandez is not in Saturday's lineup against the Mariners.

He is hitting .256/.373/.581 with four home runs and 19 strikeouts in 13 August games. Randal Grichuk will start in center field while Billy McKinney gets the nod in right field, hitting eighth.

Hernandez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Tuesday against the Rangers.

Hernandez took Shawn Kelley deep in the sixth inning for his 19th home run of the season. Despite a disappointing .225/.299/.456 line across 341 plate appearances this season, Hernandez has been very hot at the dish of late. In his last five games, he's managed four home runs, a double, five runs scored and seven RBI. With Lourdes Gurriel (quad) sidelined, Hernandez should continue to get regular at-bats in the Blue Jays' outfield.

Hernandez went 1-for-2 with a three-run homer and two walks in a 5-4 victory over the Yankees on Saturday.

The 26-year-old has three hits in the weekend series and all three have been long balls. He's only batting .226, but Hernandez has 18 homers, which is just four shy of his 2018 mark in the category. He also has 46 RBI, 43 runs and four steals in 296 at-bats this season.