Dodgers' Kiké Hernandez Could Return Even Sooner Than Expected

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been dominant on the field this season as expected, but the team has also been missing some key players.

Like any squad, the Dodgers have dealt with injuries across the roster, taking away from the overall strength of the team. One of the bigger names who has been hurt is veteran utility man Kiké Hernández, who suffered an oblique injury at the end of May.

Hernández had returned to the Dodgers lineup for two game before going back on the IL with the injury. Imaging revealed that Hernández suffered a significant tear in his oblique, and that he would be out for 8-12 weeks.

However, according to Dodgers insider Katie Woo of The Athletic, Hernández could now be returning sooner than expected.

"Kiké Hernández (oblique strain) is trending ahead of schedule, and the team is cautiously optimistic he’ll miss closer to the minimum of eight weeks projected than the 12," Woo wrote.

The veteran isn't going to come back before the All-Star break, which manager Dave Roberts recently confirmed. But this is excellent news for the Dodgers, as they could get one of the more important pieces to the roster back soon.

The eight-week mark would come in late July, meaning Hernández could theoretically be back before the trade deadline.

Los Angeles won't rush him back, especially with the goal of completing a three-peat looming. The Dodgers want to make sure that Hernández is fully ready to go for the postseason, where he has made a name for himself during his career.

Kiké Hernández Recent Injury History

Hernández had his 2026 season delayed after undergoing offseason elbow surgery, with him opening the year on the 60-day injured list. Somehow, Hernández played through injury all last season, despite Dr. Neal ElAttrache calling it the "worst" he's ever seen of its kind.

The veteran was able to return for two games, but he suffered the oblique injury during batting practice before his first appearance of the season.

Hernández was "embarrassed" by this since he had just returned, so he didn't tell the medical staff. This proved to be a poor decision, as Hernández played through the injury, resulting in it getting worse.

“I was pretty embarrassed about it,” Hernández said at the time. “I had to talk to you guys right after I hit [batting practice on Monday] and tell you guys I was pain-free at the time. I thought it was just a weird tightness. Never done an oblique before. So I didn’t really know what I was feeling."

Oddly enough, Hernández performed very well in the limited time, even with the injury. The utility man went 4-for-4, hitting one home run and driving in two RBIs.

Oblique injuries can be tricky to come back from, but Hernández seems to be making good recovery progress so far. If he can keep this up, he could be back on the field sooner rather than later, which would make the Dodgers even more dangerous in the second half of the season.

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