Kiké Hernández announced on Instagram he underwent left elbow surgery shortly after helping the Los Angeles Dodgers win the 2025 World Series.
Hernández did not provide specific details of the operation, but noted the injury he played through wound up causing a fracture in the left elbow.
Because of the surgery, Hernández is not going to be able to play for Team Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. It’s not yet clear how it might affect his availability for Opening Day of next season, or Hernández’s free agency.
Kiké Hernández confirmed he underwent left elbow surgery and won’t be able to play for Puerto Rico in the WBC. Hernández said he broke some bone in the elbow. pic.twitter.com/SBadXFNmtM
— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) November 15, 2025
The current Dodgers free agent missed nearly two months during the regular season because of left elbow trouble. He suffered the injury on a head-first slide into home plate during a game against the Cleveland Guardians in late May.
Hernández initially did not disclose his injury to the team as he attempted to play through pain. It significantly impacted him at the plate and Hernández wound up going on the 10-day injured list on July 7.
The Dodgers initially believed Hernández would be back shortly after the All-Star break, but the elbow discomfort continued to linger. He wasn’t activated until Aug. 25, which came after Hernández underwent nonsurgical procedures in effort to find a solution for the pain.
Hernández wound up hitting just .203/.255/.366 with eight doubles, 10 home runs and 35 RBI over 92 games. He nevertheless was in the Dodgers lineup for all 17 playoff games and was part of memorable moments by starting a game-ending double play in the World Series and getting run over by teammate Andy Pages.
Hernández provided a modest increase in production during the postseason but didn’t hit for the same power he’s traditionally had come October.
By becoming an everyday starter, Hernández passed Justin Turner for the Dodgers postseason record of most games played.
Kiké Hernández worried about left elbow injury
While Hernández managed to return to the Dodgers, there had been serious doubt over whether that would come to be in 2025.
“It feels good to be back,” Hernández said upon getting activated. “It got to a point where I didn’t know if this was going to happen. I mean, we were pretty close from it not happening, but just happy to be back.
“That was a very frustrating month because there was not much I could do for my injury. There were some procedures that I went through that didn’t do anything. I went through four shots in a month, and the first three didn’t do anything.
“Luckily, the fourth one was the answer, and after the last shot I was pain-free four days afterwards. I almost cried in the morning because it was the first morning I woke up pain-free.”
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