Dodgers utilityman Kiké Hernández sustained a “significant tear” of his left oblique yesterday, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Dylan Hernández of The California Post). Infielder Alex Freeland will be recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take his spot on the active roster.
Roberts didn’t specify a timeline on Hernández, but it sounds like another extended absence is inevitable. Hernández just returned from a season-opening injured list stint on Monday. He’d undergone elbow surgery shortly after the World Series and needed the first couple months of the regular season to complete his rehab.
Hernández started the past two games at third base while Max Muncy was nursing right wrist soreness. (Roberts said Muncy will return to the lineup tonight against Colorado righty Tomoyuki Sugano.) Hernández hit an RBI double in his first at-bat of the season and drilled a two-run homer yesterday. He was 4-4 with three extra-base hits on the year.
It’s unlikely Hernández would’ve remained a huge offensive threat. He’s a .232/.282/.392 hitter since the Dodgers reacquired him from the Red Sox at the 2023 deadline. Dodgers brass clearly loves Hernández as a clubhouse presence, however, and he’s a versatile defensive player. The Dodgers re-signed him to a $4.5MM free agent contract at the beginning of Spring Training.
Frustrating as it surely is for Hernández personally, it’s also less than ideal for the team from a depth perspective. L.A. designated the out-of-options Santiago Espinal for assignment on Monday to open the active roster spot for Hernández’s return. He’ll need to be traded or waived this week and would likely become a free agent if he clears waivers. The Dodgers could try to re-sign him if it gets to that point, but all other teams will have an opportunity to add Espinal to their MLB rosters in the interim.
Freeland and Tyler Fitzgerald are the remaining depth infielders on the 40-man roster. The switch-hitting Freeland was optioned on May 11. He’s hitting .238 with a .360 on-base percentage since going back to Triple-A. Starting second baseman Hyeseong Kim has gone cold this month, batting .217 with a .273 OBP and only two extra-base hits in 20 MLB games. Roberts indicated that Freeland will get the majority of the second base playing time now that he’s back up (via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic). He’ll presumably be in the starting lineup tonight.
That’ll likely be a 2-3 week arrangement. Tommy Edman has been out all season recovering from ankle surgery. He began a rehab assignment at OKC last night. Those can last up to 20 days for position players, and it’s likely Edman will need the full window because he didn’t have a Spring Training. That’d put his return date in the second or third week of June barring any setbacks.
