Kiké Hernandez has not made an appearance for the Los Angeles Dodgers since July 5.

A balky elbow has kept him out of action for the last few weeks. While the expectation was that the famed utility man would be back sooner than later, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

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Manager Dave Roberts was asked about Hernandez and his potential return to the field. While he’s been playing catch passively, Roberts admits that Hernandez is in a “holding pattern” — and that the injury has been more tricky than it was initially believed to be.

Kiké Hernández has been playing catch, but there’s no timeline for his return. Dave Roberts said he was in a “holding pattern.”

Is it lasting longer than expected?

“Absolutely. Yes.”

— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) July 19, 2025

On the year, Hernandez has been far from stellar at the plate. The 33-year-old is hitting .195 with eight homers and 22 runs batted-in. His OPS is a meager .626, and strikeouts have been a major issue.

Hernandez has struck out 48 times in 169 at-bats. Baseball Savant indicates that Hernandez chases at an exceptionally high rate. He also strikes out more than a fourth of the time, and has a nearly 30 percent whiff percentage.

While these are not great numbers by any stretch, Hernandez has built the reputation as being a postseason player. His proclivity for hitting left-handed pitching, coupled with strong leadership skills and positional versatility is why the Dodgers brought him back into the fold this offseason.

Kike Hernandez is currently not participating in baseball activities, which raises concerns since he will need time to ramp up and prepare for playing with the club, Dave Roberts said. 

“I don’t know the timeline. I don’t think Kike knows the timeline.”@SportingTrib | #Dodgers…

— Fredo Cervantes (@FredoCervantes) July 19, 2025

Without Hernandez healthy, it has had an adverse impact on the roster from a position standpoint. Hernandez can essentially play every position in the field save for catcher. This includes even being a willing participant for mop-up duty on the mound. In games where the Dodgers are either blowing out a team or are in a sizable hole, it’s been Hernandez throwing innings as a means to keep other arms in the bullpen fresh.

To date this season Hernandez has made five appearances totaling 5.1 innings pitched. He’s allowed 11 hits and nine earned runs, which equates to a cool 15.19 ERA. To his credit, he does have a strikeout.

Without Hernandez healthy, it puts a ton of pressure on the other bench players to make up for the versatility lost with him out injured.

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Photo Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

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