Dodgers Officially Announce When Kiké Hernandez Will Return From Injured List

Los Angeles Dodgers utility man Kiké Hernández, who opened the 2026 season on the injured list after undergoing offseason elbow injury, will rejoin the team this week for their series against the Colorado Rockies, manager Dave Roberts announced on Saturday.

Hernández, who's currently on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Oklahoma City, will play in his final minor league game on Saturday. Then, he'll head back to Los Angeles and come off the IL on Monday after the Dodgers finish their series with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Hernández is coming off a 2025 season in which he played in 93 games, slashing .203/.255/.366 with 10 home runs, 35 RBIs and an OPS of .621. While his numbers were down, he was playing through the elbow injury for a majority of the season.

On his rehab assignment, Hernández has appeared in 11 games heading into Saturday night, hitting .237 with three RBIs and an OPS of .668. After not playing since last postseason, this is somewhat of a spring training for the utility man.

He recently expressed an eagerness to get back.

"I knew it was going to be a long rehab. And even though I'm ahead of schedule, it still feels like it's forever, because it's the first time in my entire career that I missed spring training and I missed Opening Day," Hernández said recently. "... Last year was miserable, you know? Not only performance wise, but I was just in a lot of pain every time I took the field. So I'm just happy that I'm pain free right now."

Who Will Kiké Hernandez Replace on Dodgers Roster?

Hernández's return was initially expected to spell the end of Santiago Espinal's tenure with the Dodgers. However, with the recent injury to Max Muncy, it's currently unknown what the corresponding move for Hernández will be.

The Dodgers have already ruled Muncy out for the remainder of the series in Milwaukee. On Monday, he'll be reevaluated before the team needs to make a decision on the move for Hernández.

Dave Roberts says Max Muncy (wrist, HBP) will be down through the weekend and the team will reevaluate back in LA on Monday.

Kiké Hernández will play his final rehab game with OKC tonight and is set to join the Dodgers on Monday as well. #Dodgers
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) May 23, 2026

If the Dodgers decide that Muncy likely won't be able to play for a week, they could theoretically put him on the IL while activating Hernández. However, they will still need to clear a 40-man roster spot for Hernández, who's coming off the 60-day IL.

For what it's worth, Roberts siad he'd be surprised if Muncy needed to go on the IL. Things could chance in the coming days, though.

Hernández is going to pick up his utility role when he returns, likely spending time at third base and second base while potentially getting opportunities in the outfield.

"I see Kiké at third, obviously he's gonna play some second because you just don't know what's gonna happen, you just never know what's gonna happen, what could happen," Roberts said last week. "I see him playing some outfield too, just to kind of keep his skills sharp."

The Dodgers will be very excited to get Hernández back. What that ultimately means for Muncy or Espinal remains to be seen.

Espinal is getting the start on Saturday and probably also Sunday with Muncy on the bench.

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