LOS ANGELES — Shortly after leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a World Series victory, fans received a “mild shock” — Kiké Hernández, one of the team’s most important players, underwent surgery to repair a torn muscle in his elbow, an injury he suffered throughout the 2025 season. The news immediately raised questions: Will the upcoming free agency spell a hiatus, or a return for a seasoned veteran?
Hernández — now 34 — admitted that he’d been playing through months of pain: “They initially thought it was just a ligament release, but when they did the surgery, they found out it was a complete tear, completely separated from the bone,” he shared on “Baseball & Coffee.” The result: an “extensor repair” that forced him to miss “a month or two” in early 2026.
The 2025 season wasn’t Hernández’s best season statistically — he finished the regular season with a slash line of .203/.255/.366, with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs in 92 games.
But what kept the Dodgers believing in him — and the fans sticking around — was his value beyond numbers: his ability to defend at multiple positions, his consistency in key situations, and his “October Player of the Month” qualities: clutch hitting, playing with fire despite his imperfect body.
Despite injuries and his ups and downs in performance, the Dodgers’ manager and staff still put their faith in Hernández. In the postseason, he continued to play regularly — appearing in most games, making crucial defensive plays, even making the game-winning catch to seal Game 6. While 2025 wasn’t a great season statistically, his late-season performance showed that Hernández is still the player the Dodgers need when the pressure is on.
But now, with elbow surgery, a big question arises: What will the upcoming free agency season look like? At 34 years old, with a history of injuries, and a host of young competitors — Hernández is unlikely to escape suspicion from the leadership or free agent scouts. “I’ll be out at least a month, maybe two,” he admitted.
With his complicated performance and injury record, Hernández could face: A short-term contract, no higher salary than before; A bench/utility role rather than a starter; The pressure to prove himself from the start: from defense, offense to physical endurance…
But if he can overcome it, he can still keep his position — thanks to rare qualities: postseason experience, versatility and mental fortitude.
What many fans hope: that the Dodgers or some team is willing to give Hernández — who just helped them win a championship — another chance, to prove that the injury is only temporary, and that his love for the field has not died.
The story of Kiké Hernández — not a legend at the top, not a shining superstar — but a persistent warrior, a player who knows how to sacrifice, who knows how to overcome injuries to serve the team.
This surgery could be a temporary break. But if he chooses the right path to recovery — rest, recover, stay hungry — Hernández can still write the final chapter of his MLB career: not with statistics, but with spirit, with love for the ball and for the jersey he has accompanied for so many years.
And for Dodgers fans — that is irreplaceable value.
Leave a Reply