J.T. Ginn gets the ball for Sacramento on Wednesday, July 1, and on paper, he's the Athletics' best argument that this game stays competitive. The right-hander is 6-4 with a 2.91 ERA this season, racking up quality starts in 5 of his last 6 outings and giving up 2 or fewer runs in every one of them. His sinker-slider combination has generated consistent weak contact — the guy flat-out earned this start. Who the Dodgers counter with at 6:40 PM PT hadn't been officially announced coming into this week, but whoever it is inherits an offense that ranks first in baseball with a .261 team batting average.
Wednesday is game 3 of this Sacramento set, and the Dodgers arrive with real momentum. They swept Minnesota the previous week, dropped a 1-7 stinker to San Diego, and then answered by hanging 15 runs on the Padres the very next day. That's the kind of lineup resilience that makes LA legitimately dangerous even on nights when things go sideways early. The Athletics, meanwhile, are 2-3 over their last 5 games — a 2-5 loss to the Angels on Sunday being the most recent data point. They're not trending the right direction heading into this matchup.
The biggest Dodgers news heading into this series was Teoscar Hernandez's activation off the 10-day IL. He'd been out since late May with a hamstring strain but made his return impossible to ignore — 3 home runs and 6 RBI across 11 plate appearances in his Triple-A rehab stint. Manager Dave Roberts said Hernandez's return gives the lineup "added slug" and "that length," and he was cleared for the Monday series opener. By Wednesday, he's two games back into the rhythm and facing a Sacramento pitching staff that will be stretched if Ginn doesn't go deep into the game. Catcher Will Smith (neck) is still absent and won't travel on this road trip, but the heart of this order is intact.
- Day-To-DayChris Campos SP
- 10-Day-ILTeoscar Hernandez LF — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that Hernandez (hamstring) will be activated off the injured list ahead of Monday's series opener versus the Athletics, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
- 10-Day-ILWill Smith C — Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Smith (neck) won't travel with the Dodgers for their upcoming road trip, which begins Monday and runs through July 1, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILEnrique Hernandez 1B — Hernandez (oblique) has started some baseball activities but remains in the early stages of his rehab, per MLB.com.
- 15-Day-ILBlake Treinen RP — Treinen does not have any structural damage in his injured right elbow, per MLB.com.
- 60-Day-ILBlake Snell SP — Snell (elbow) threw a 15-pitch bullpen session Friday, and manager Dave Roberts said it went well, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
- 60-Day-ILLandon Knack SP — Knack (chest) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, yielding two runs on five hits and one walk over 1.1 innings.
- 60-Day-ILEdwin Diaz RP — Diaz (elbow) is throwing in the bullpen Friday at Dodger Stadium, reports Jack Harris of the California Post.
- Day-To-DayJacob Wilson SS — Wilson (shoulder) isn't starting against the Angels on Saturday, but he's available off the bench and could be back in the starting lineup Sunday, Michael Huntley of the Orange County Register reports.
- 10-Day-ILZack Gelof 3B — The Athletics placed Gelof on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a right hand contusion.
- 10-Day-ILBrent Rooker DH — Rooker (knee) is still not participating in any baseball activities as of Tuesday, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILMark Leiter Jr. RP — Leiter (hip) began a throwing progression Monday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILDenzel Clarke CF — Clarke (hamstring) has started to play catch and has also begun a swinging progression, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILLuis Severino SP — The Athletics transferred Severino (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.
- 60-Day-ILBrooks Kriske RP — Kriske (shoulder) began a throwing progression Thursday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILGunnar Hoglund SP — Hoglund (knee/back) will be sidelined for the rest of the 2026 season after undergoing surgery on his left hip Monday.
The Athletics are dealing with real lineup attrition for this series. Brent Rooker (knee) is on the IL and not doing baseball activities yet. Zack Gelof is out with a right hand contusion. Jacob Wilson is day-to-day with a shoulder issue. The replacements filling those spots — Max Muncy hitting .230 and Jeff McNeil at .228 — don't exactly inspire confidence against one of the better rotations in the NL. Nick Kurtz (61 RBI on the season), Shea Langeliers (19 home runs), and Tyler Soderstrom (13 home runs, 41 RBI) are still dangerous enough to keep Ginn's back in this game if he's on. But the margin for error on Sacramento's end is thin. A Dodgers lineup at full health with Hernandez back doesn't need an invitation to put a crooked number on the board.