CLEVELAND — For a brief five-game flash in the middle of this month, Michael Conforto looked like the hitter the Dodgers thought they had signed last winter.

Emerging from a deep 1-for-40 slump with his season average at .134, Conforto went 8 for 19 with five doubles in five games against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Athletics. They were the first signs of offensive life from the veteran outfielder since the opening games of the season.

Conforto was unable to sustain the positive results. He went into Tuesday’s game with just two hits in his past 23 at-bats, a stretch that included nine strikeouts.

But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed optimism that Conforto was hitting the ball harder even if the results hadn’t shown it. Over the weekend, Roberts did acknowledge that things could reach a point where the 32-year-old Conforto stops getting opportunities to turn his season around. But that point has not arrived yet.

“There’s a point, yeah,” Roberts said. “Production certainly warrants opportunity. I do feel his track record has given him a longer leash which he has earned.”

Conforto provided some modest reward for that patience Tuesday night. He had a single in the first inning then hit a solo home run in the sixth, his first home run since April 5.

“To hit a ball hard and see it leave the park, it’s kind of everything that we’ve been working on,” Conforto said.

That work has focused on “a lot of different things,” he said, starting with pitch selection and the “patterns” he has fallen into that have made him vulnerable at the plate.

“Then the other thing is, every single guy in here is working on their swing and trying to be more consistent and have the right path to the ball,” Conforto said. “That’s kind of a lot of what we’ve been working on.

“If you’re not swinging at the right pitches but you’re mechanically working well, it just might not show up on the field. It’s kind of a combination of both and there’s been a few things here and there, making sure I’m loaded up and trying to work to get the barrel of the bat out in front a little bit more. Move my contact point out a little bit. But overall I think it’s just been keeping my head down, working hard and just trying to bring a better approach to the plate. I think that’s kind of what’s been helping.”

WEATHER FORECAST

Roberts called the forecast for today in Cleveland “ominous.” Rain is expected to fall throughout the day, potentially impacting the series finale scheduled for an afternoon start at Progressive Field.

The Dodgers and Guardians are both scheduled to be off Thursday, creating the possibility of a postponement Wednesday and another night’s stay in Cleveland for the Dodgers. The two teams also have a mutual off day on July 31 following a Dodgers series in Cincinnati.

“There’s just a lot of different ways we could go — whether it’s start on time, delay, stay the night,” Roberts said. “We’ve talked through the mutual off day situation whether it’s Thursday or later in the summer. Right now, I just think with time we’ll know more at the end of the game, tomorrow morning we’ll know more.”

SHEEHAN PROGRESS

Right-hander Emmet Sheehan began a minor-league injury rehabilitation assignment with two scoreless innings in the Arizona Complex League, striking out five of the six batters he faced. Sheehan is now going to join Triple-A Oklahoma City to continue his rehab assignment.

Sheehan underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2024. His stuff has looked “fantastic,” Roberts said.

Sheehan could be ready to return before the end of June.