So far during the young 2017 season, one of the more common lineup themes of the Dodgers has been to employ utility man Enrique Hernandez in center field against left-handed pitching, while stashing away Joc Pederson on the pine for possible appearances later in games against righty pitching, or for his skills as a defensive replacement.
It’s far too early in the year to tell if this will be a beneficial trend, but in the greater scope of things, Pederson won’t have many opportunities to improve his overall production against southpaw pitching if he isn’t afforded the chances.