The Los Angeles Dodgers have had their share of injuries this season, but utility man Kiké Hernández’s elbow complications could lead to him being sidelined for the remainder of 2025.
After landing on the IL at the beginning of July, it has almost been a month of Hernández being shelved. Manager Dave Roberts recently touched on the lengths the team has gone through to try to get the fan favorite back on the diamond.
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Measures such as a cortisone shot, non-invasive rehab procedures and rest haven’t seemed to work for getting the 33-year-old back in action. Roberts claimed that there is nothing definitive regarding a return before the season’s end.
“Certainly there is no guarantee, but we’re hopeful that he’ll be back,” Roberts said Monday.
This season, Hernández has been batting .195/.259/.367 with an OPS of .626. He is an above-average defender with a defensive runs saved score of three at second base, ranked No. 19 among active second basemen across his 83 innings in that spot.
Another major asset to Hernandez’s game is his ability to turn things to another level in October.
After batting .230 across 48 appearances during the 2020 season, Hernández had a pair of RBIs during his 10 World Series at-bats.
Last season, Hernández had immense struggles during the first half of the year and finished 2024 with a .229 batting average and an OPS of .654. In October, the utility man was hitting .294/.357/.451 with an OPS of .808.
His flexibility on defense and clutch performances during the postseason would be a major loss if Hernández can’t get healthy, but the hope is that the fan favorite can return before the start of another postseason run.
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Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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