The Los Angeles Dodgers welcomed back Kike Hernandez on Monday night, as the veteran utility player made his season debut in a 5-3 comeback victory against the Colorado Rockies after recovering from offseason elbow surgery. Hernandez started at third base in place of the injured Max Muncy, who recently shared a wrist injury update, and finished 2-for-2 with an RBI double before exiting later in the game.
“It was good to have him back,” manager Dave Roberts said, according to ESPN. “There’s a lot of emotion and adrenaline and anticipation. That’s probably the thing you got to guard against, but he did a good job managing those emotions.”
Hernandez missed the Dodgers’ first 53 games while recovering from surgery to repair a torn muscle and torn extensor tendon in his left elbow. The 34-year-old admitted the injury heavily impacted him throughout last season, even as he helped Los Angeles win another World Series title.
Hernandez battled through pain before surgery
Hernandez revealed the severity of the injury after returning to the clubhouse, explaining how difficult it became to play through the pain during the 2025 season. “It was a rough year,” Hernandez said. “The best description that I can put on it is every time I would get in my batting stance I would feel like I had a blowtorch on.”
Dave Roberts #30 high fives Enrique Hernandez #8 of the Dodgers. Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Despite the injury, Hernandez appeared in all 17 postseason games last October while helping the Dodgers capture their second straight World Series championship. Roberts praised the veteran’s toughness and noted that many people didn’t fully understand how serious the elbow issue had become.
Dodgers counting on Hernandez’s leadership moving forward
Beyond his versatility, Hernandez’s return also restores one of the Dodgers’ emotional leaders inside the clubhouse. “I’m in charge of checking guys,” Hernandez said. “I think guys know if I’m on them, and I’m tough on them, it means I care a lot about them.”
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Hernandez signed a one-year contract to return for his 10th season with the Dodgers and now rejoins a team chasing another championship run. His return also comes at an important moment as the Dodgers manage Muncy’s absence.
