Andy Pages was hit on the left hand by a Bubba Chandler fastball in the third inning of yesterday’s 5-4 Dodgers win over the Pirates, and manager Dave Roberts revealed postgame that Pages had suffered a fractured hand. The recovery timetable was estimated at 4-5 weeks, regardless of whether or not Pages may require surgery.
“I would expect him back, knowing him, on the earlier side,” Roberts told MLB.com’s Sonja Chen and other reporters. “There’s still time in the season for him to be back. But I feel for him because he was having such a good year and he likes to play. But yeah, we’ve got to move on and hold down the fort until he’s back.”
While Pages was in obvious discomfort after the HBP, he actually stayed in the game for another inning before Enrique Hernandez took over in center field in the top of the fifth. Hernandez is probably the likeliest candidate for the majority of center field with Pages out, though Alex Call and utilityman Tommy Edman will surely get some time up the middle. Edman has been regularly playing second base, so any time he spends in center field could see Hernandez or Miguel Rojas getting more time at the keystone.
There will inevitably be speculation that Los Angeles could dip into its stash of highly-touted outfield prospects, though the likes of Josue De Paula or Mike Sirota have yet to reach Triple-A ball, and neither may be an ideal fit in center field. Zach Ehrhard is enjoying a strong year at Triple-A Oklahoma City and has played a lot of center field, but if the Dodgers call up anyone from the minors, it might be a more established big leaguer like Alek Thomas, who has yet to get any MLB playing time with L.A. since he was acquired from the Diamondbacks in May.
With a nine-game lead in the NL West, the Dodgers don’t really have to worry about a playoff race, and can focus their attention just on getting as healthy as possible for the postseason. That being said, Pages’ initial timeline lines him up for a return right at the very end of the regular season, so any setback would threaten his availability for the playoffs. There’s also the question of how effective Pages will be if he does return in 4-5 weeks, as hand injuries often leave hitters needing a bit of extra time to feel fully comfortable at the plate.
Any way you slice it, losing Pages is a big setback for a Dodgers team that is still looking to secure a first-round bye. Pages is perhaps a little overlooked among the other major names on the L.A. roster, but the homegrown product has gone from international signing to top prospect to an All-Star in 2026. Now in his third MLB season, Pages is hitting .272/.338/.458 with 21 homers over 550 plate appearances this year, translating to a 119 wRC+. Much of Pages’ production came in the first two months of the season, but his bat had started to heat up again in August.
Beyond his ability at the plate, Pages has also become one of the sport’s best defensive outfielders, posting +17 Defensive Runs Saved and +9 Outs Above Average in center field this year. This spectacular glovework has helped offset subpar fielding numbers from Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernandez in the corner outfield slots, and Roberts implied that the team will be prioritizing defense in finding replacements for Pages.
