{"id":9702,"date":"2026-05-27T18:08:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T18:08:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=9702"},"modified":"2026-05-27T18:08:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T18:08:19","slug":"dodgers-activate-kike-hernandez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=9702","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers activate Kik\u00e9 Hernandez"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

LOS ANGELES \u2014 The Dodgers activated Kik\u00e9 Hernandez from the injured list following offseason elbow surgery, while Santiago Espinal was the odd man out and was designated for assignment on Monday.<\/p>\n

Read more Dodgers rally to top Rockies after getting bruised early<\/a><\/p>\n

Hernandez was in the starting lineup Monday against the Colorado Rockies batting ninth while playing third base. He played in 12 games during a minor-league rehab assignment where he batted .214 with two doubles and three RBIs for Triple-A Oklahoma City.<\/p>\n

Hernandez\u2019s left elbow injury forced him to miss more than seven weeks, mostly in the second half last season. He thought his season might be finished before slight improvement with the injury allowed him to make his return on Aug. 26.<\/p>\n

Despite residual discomfort, Hernandez played in all 17 postseason games, seeing time mostly in left field after Michael Conforto was not included on the playoff roster. He batted .250 in the playoffs with one home run and seven RBIs.<\/p>\n

While his elbow pain was intense at times, especially after aggravating the injury on a play on defense during the National League Championship Series, it was only while in surgery with team doctor Neal ElAttrache that the extent of the issue was revealed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went into the surgery not really knowing how serious it was gonna be, or if it was just gonna be a cleanup,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cI woke up with ElAttrache telling me, \u2018This was the worst injury I\u2019ve ever seen of this kind, and I don\u2019t know how you played.\u2019 I told him, \u2018Thank you. I take it as a compliment.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Hernandez said he even used the opportunity, while coming out of general anesthesia, to lobby Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman for a new contract. In February, the team finally announced a one-year, $4.5\u00a0million deal.<\/p>\n

And yet the worst part of the offseason for Hernandez was not being able to play for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. He did leave spring training to spend a few days with the team when it played group stage games in Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThat hurt my soul a little more than I was in pain physically last year, just because I\u2019ve been dreaming about playing in the WBC in Puerto Rico since I was 13 years old,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cI kind of felt like that got taken away from me. But you gotta find a way of looking at positives in life, and I was like, \u2018You know what, this would have sucked a lot more if we lost the World Series, and I still didn\u2019t get to play WBC.\u2019 But we won the World Series.\u201d<\/p>\n

The plan, for now, is to use Hernandez in the infield, but Manager Dave Roberts did not rule out a return to the outfield at some point this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a tough, tough competitor, tough player,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cI don\u2019t think anyone appreciated how severe the injury was. He was not going to come out of the lineup and gave himself every opportunity to play (in the playoffs) with the pain that he was going through. That\u2019s kind of what makes him special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Espinal earned his spot on the Opening Day roster by batting .378 with two home runs and 13 RBIs in 19 Cactus League games. He signed as a free agent with the Dodgers in February after spending the past two seasons with the Cincinnati Reds.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

An American League All-Star in 2022 with the Toronto Blue Jays, Espinal was batting .238 with one home run and four RBIs in 26 games for the Dodgers this season.<\/p>\n

Read more Dodgers\u2019 slumping Mookie Betts hits cleanup for 1st time since 2017<\/a><\/p>\n

In parting ways with Espinal, the Dodgers elected to keep infielder Hyeseong Kim on the roster despite his recent struggles. Kim is batting .255 in 40 games this season but\u00a0was\u00a0batting just .150 over his last 14 games\u00a0before Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a baseball player, it\u2019s my job to produce, so I\u2019m always focused on producing numbers,\u201d Kim said through an interpreter. \u201cJust given the situation, I try not to think about (a roster crunch) and just keep working hard and keep producing the best I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

WAITING GAME<\/h4>\n

Another option to open a roster spot for Hernandez was to place third baseman Max Muncy on the injured list, but his sore right wrist continues to show improvement.<\/p>\n

Muncy was hit by a pitch in Friday\u2019s game against the Milwaukee Brewers but he still was not ready to return to action Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is doing better,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cHe\u2019s a little bit less sore today. The swelling has dissipated.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rockies moved left-hander Kyle Freeland\u2019s start to Tuesday after he originally was scheduled to pitch Monday. Roberts now estimates the left-handed hitting Muncy will return against Colorado on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

TOMMY TIME<\/h4>\n

Utility man Tommy Edman is expected to start an extended rehab assignment Tuesday at Oklahoma City.<\/p>\n

Edman has not played at all this season after offseason surgery on his right ankle. Like Hernandez, Edman played through his injury during the postseason.<\/p>\n

Roberts said he expects Edman to spend up to two weeks with Oklahoma City just as Hernandez did. The expectation is that Edman spends the majority of his time during his rehab assignment at second base.<\/p>\n

WELCOME ABOARD<\/h4>\n

Left-hander Eric Lauer is set to make his Dodgers debut Tuesday night when he starts against the Rockies. Lauer struggled to a 6.69 ERA in eight appearances (six starts) with Toronto before he was designated for assignment and traded to the Dodgers last week for cash.<\/p>\n

Lauer, who turns 31 next week, is 46-44 with a 4.26 ERA over 156 major-league appearances (133 starts) for the San Diego Padres (2018-19), Brewers (2020-23) and Blue Jays (2025). He was in Triple-A during the 2024 season before he was granted his release to pitch in South Korea for the Kia Tigers.<\/p>\n

UP NEXT<\/h4>\n

Rockies (LHP Kyle Freeland, 1-5, 7.04 ERA) at Dodgers (LHP Eric Lauer, 1-5, 6.69 ERA), Tuesday, 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM, 1020 AM<\/p>\n

Read more Lakers GM Rob Pelinka stresses player development focus<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hernandez returns after offseason elbow surgery and a 12-game minor league rehab assignment. 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