Kiké Hernández continues to make significant progress in his recovery from an elbow injury, and he recently took part in a batting practice session, an encouraging sign that he could soon come off the 60-day injured list and return to the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup.
The update came from Fabian Ardaya on X, who shared video of Hernández taking full swings in the cage at the stadium. Based on previous timelines reported by Katie Woo, a potential return date could be around May 24, aligning with earlier expectations.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was impressed with what he saw following Hernández’s training work: “Taking grounders, the way he’s moving, the way he’s throwing, catching it, the swing, the ball coming off the bat, all that stuff—if I didn’t know any better, I would think he was in the lineup tonight.”
Who is filling Hernández’s role?
While Hernández continues his recovery, Andy Pages has been covering center field, a position Hernández can handle along with several others, given his value as a key utility player. He’s also been used as a pinch-hitter when needed.
Kiké Hernández is hitting on the field today, another positive step as he works his way back from offseason elbow surgery. pic.twitter.com/K5wG1e9Ww9
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) March 28, 2026
With Hernández sidelined, the Dodgers are missing a player capable of stepping in across the outfield or even at first base if necessary. His versatility remains one of his biggest assets, even though he posted a .203 batting average last season across 92 MLB games.
The last time Hernández appeared in more than 100 games was in 2024, when he played 126 games with 362 at-bats, hitting .229 with 12 home runs, two more than he had in 2025 despite playing fewer games. If he returns on schedule, he could surpass last year’s workload and approach that earlier level of production.
