“Dave Roberts messed up” - MLB analysts call out Dodgers manager following blunt criticism of Teoscar Hernandez’s costly blunder

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has been under fire from fans this year after moving to right field. The All-Star slugger's defensive lapse in Monday's game against the Colorado Rockies led to a 4-3 loss.

Hernandez misjudged a routine fly ball in right field in the bottom of the ninth inning with the scores tied 3-3. The Rockies ended up walking off the Dodgers later in the same inning.

Following the blunder from Hernandez, manager Dave Roberts delivered a blunt assessment in a post-game interview:

"He’s just got to get better out there. There’s just no way to put it. I know there’s effort. It’s not a lack of effort. But the thing is, we’ve just got to kind of get better. We do. I don’t know what else to say.”

MLB analysts Chris Rose and Trevor Plouffe reacted to Roberts' clip of his blunt take in Tuesday's episode of "Baseball Today,"

"It wasn't an effort thing," Rose said (29:00 onwards).

Plouffe joined in:

"Yeah, he said the first part and then started backtracking. He started saying, 'We have to get better out there.' It's not an effort thing. Hernandez has been like a plus defender, it's not his calling card, and as a skipper that puts a team together, you understand there's gonna be some defensive deficiencies with this guy.

"But for Dave Roberts, I think he messed up and realized it. But again, like you know, he's not a Gold Glover out there. He's a banger Chris and he's a veteran."

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts urged Teoscar Hernandez to get better last month

Teoscar Hernandez was one of the protagonists for the Dodgers last year. He signed a three-year, $66 million contract to return to Los Angeles in the offseason.

However, the veteran All-Star has been going through a slump since transitioning to right field. It wasn't the first time Roberts called out Hernandez's defensive lapses as the Dodgers manager urged Hernandez to get better last month.

"There are some 50-50 balls that I think we can maybe make better plays on," Roberts had said. "It’s certainly not from lack of effort. But I know that, and I believe, that he can be better out there."

Roberts also has turned down the suggestion of moving Mookie Betts back to right field despite the former MVP's struggles at shortstop this season.