Kiké Hernández’s brief return ended almost as soon as it began. The Dodgers said Wednesday that Hernández has a significant tear of his left oblique, an injury manager Dave Roberts described to reporters as a “significant tear,” and Alex Freeland will be recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take his place on the active roster.
Roberts did not offer a timetable for Hernández’s return, but he said another extended absence is inevitable. The injury marks a sharp turn for a player who had just come back from a season-opening injured list stint on Monday, only to go down again two days later after playing through a heavy early workload at third base.
Hernández had started the past two games at third while Max Muncy dealt with right wrist soreness, and he rewarded the Dodgers with production right away. He hit an RBI double in his first at-bat of the season, then followed with a two-run homer on May 26, leaving him 4-for-4 with three extra-base hits on the year before the oblique tear shut him down.
The latest injury lands at a delicate moment for Los Angeles. Hernández signed a $4.5 million free-agent contract at the beginning of spring training, then spent the early part of the season working back after elbow surgery shortly after the World Series. The Dodgers designated Santiago Espinal for assignment on Monday to clear a roster spot for Hernández’s return, but that move now gives way to another shuffle as Freeland comes back up.
Roberts said Freeland will get the majority of the second-base playing time now that he is back in the majors, a sign the Dodgers are already trying to steady the lineup around the latest setback. That need is sharper because Hyeseong Kim had gone cold in May, batting.217 with a.273 on-base percentage and two extra-base hits in 20 MLB games. Tommy Edman also began a rehab assignment at Oklahoma City on May 26, adding another name to a roster picture that has shifted quickly around one injury after another.
For Hernández, the question is no longer whether he can give the Dodgers a spark. He already did that. The issue is how long they will have to wait before they get him back again.
