Kiké Hernandez Sends Message to Dodgers Fans After Devastating Injury

Just as quickly as the Los Angeles Dodgers got Kiké Hernandez back into the lineup, the veteran utility man was taken away.

Hernandez had just been activated off the 60-day injured list following offseason elbow surgery, and will now be out for the foreseeable future due to an oblique injury.

At first, Hernandez was hopeful that the injury wouldn't too bad, but an MRI determined it to be a "significant" tear. He's expected to miss at least 6-8 weeks.

After the injury news came out, Hernandez took to social media to send a message to the Dodgers fans.

"We're going forward!!" he wrote. "I love you my people!"

Hernandez first felt the injury during batting practice on Monday, but he admitted that he was "embarrassed" to tell the team. However, the injury became too much for him to play through, and he alerted his manager.

Due to the severity of the injury, Hernandez could be out until after the All-Star break. Of course, the Dodgers will likely take a cautious approach in his recovery, hoping to ensure that it doesn't linger.

When Hernandez was activated off the injured list, he took the spot of Santiago Espinal, who was designated for assignment. Hernandez said that, in addition to his frustration with the injury taking him out of the lineup, he wasn't happy to see Espinal removed from the roster for him onlt for him to go back on the IL two days later.

Now the Dodgers will move forward without one of their biggest glue guys on the roster. In a very limited time with the team this year, Hernandez made an impact, going 4-for-4 with a home run and two doubles.

KIKÉ'S BACK, TELL A FRIEND. pic.twitter.com/Hgd5xulK20
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 27, 2026

“It’s a bummer,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s missed a lot of time and worked hard to get back, was in great shape, added that spark that we had hoped. ... I just feel bad for him because he wanted to be back with us and worked hard."

Dodgers Plan Moving Forward Without Kiké Hernandez

With Hernandez now on the injured list, the team has recalled infielder Alex Freeland from the minors. Freeland had been optioned when the team activated Mookie Betts from injury, and now he will be given another chance to prove himself.

Before he was optioned, Freeland hit .235 with two home runs and eight runs batted in, while putting up an OPS of .646. Freeland made the Opening Day roster, and the Dodgers have a strong belief in his abilities on the field.

Roberts said that Freeland will get "a little bit more runway" at second base over Hyeseong Kim, who's struggled as of late.

“I’m going to give Freeland a little bit more runway," Roberts said. "I think that in the last — call it four weeks — Hyeseong has had a lot of runway, certainly versus right-handed pitching and I think right now [I am going to] skew it more towards Alex getting more of the opportunities."

The Dodgers are also expecting to get Tommy Edman back from injury next month, and he should take over the everyday second base duties when he returns.

The injury to Teoscar Hernandez, however, further complicates things.

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