Kiké Hernández was in the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup, starting in left field, as they began postseason play in a Wild Card matchup against the Cincinnati Reds.
Hernández took three at-bats, recording two hits with a run scored, before coming out of Game 1 in the seventh inning. Alex Call ended up pinch-hitting for Hernández in the 8-2 blowout, and on the ESPN broadcast, they mentioned it was due to a back issue.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed the injury to Hernández, but said he will return to the lineup for Game 2 on Wednesday.
“He has some back tightness. Just trying to take care in this particular game, getting him ready for tomorrow and beyond. But he’ll be in there tomorrow,” Roberts said.
Hernández seemingly is the Dodgers’ starting left fielder for the postseason as Michael Conforto was not included on their Wild Card Series roster. Losing another piece from the lineup would have been a difficult blow, especially with Will Smith, Tommy Edman and Max Muncy all managing injuries of their own.
It also may have been a challenge to replace Hernández, given his playoff pedigree.
Over his postseason career, Hernández is batting .283/.356/.524 with seven doubles, two triples, 15 home runs, 35 RBI and 38 runs scored over 233 at-bats in 87 games. During the Dodgers’ World Series run last season, he hit .294/.357/.451 in 51 at-bats.
Dodgers decision to start Kiké Hernández
Hernández closed out the season by hitting .292/.320/.542 in his final seven games, and with the struggles of Conforto all year, the Dodgers opted to go with the hot hand. In addition to his recent play, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman explained Hernández was also given the job due to his playoff history.
“I think we’ve all seen the level of focus and energy that Kiké brings, especially in October,” Friedman said. “Big factor in wanting to bring him back this offseason. That being said, you never know how a season is going to play out and what things are going to look like.
“But he’s had a good little run here lately and feels like his swing’s in a better spot. And his ability to kind of slow things down and take what the pitcher gives and then also add really good defense on top of it is something we felt really comfortable betting on.”
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