The Los Angeles Dodgers activated Kiké Hernández off the 15-day injured list and optioned Alex Freeland to Triple-A Oklahoma City before Tuesday’s game against the Seattle Mariners.
Freeland previously withstood multiple instances of a roster crunch, in part due to Hyeseong Kim’s struggles, but his number of opportunities had tailed off in recent weeks as a result of Tommy Edman returning.
This also marks a second time Freeland was optioned to the Minors as the corresponding move to Hernández coming off the IL. He made a quick return in the first instance due to Hernández suffering an oblique strain while taking batting practice before his season debut.
Kiké Hernández looking to remain healthy
Hernández started the season on the 60-day injured list while recovering from left elbow surgery he had last November. His highly-anticipated 2026 debut came earlier than first expected, but lasted all of two games because of the aforementioned left oblique strain.
Hernández initially hoped the tweak he felt during batting practice was nothing more than that, but the discomfort worsened after the second at-bat of his second start. That led to being removed from the game and landing back on the injured list the following afternoon.
The Dodgers initially feared Hernández would miss a substantial amount of time but more recently became optimistic.
“Honestly, he looks normal,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts marveled earlier this month. “It’s really, I don’t want to say miraculous, but I’m really in disbelief how well he’s responded, given the injury. … Swinging, throwing, everything. There’s no compensation or feeling it. Certainly a quick healer. He’s working hard to get back.”
As the regular season enters its final two months, Hernández is now looking to stay on the field.
“I feel great. I’m going to keep it short. I hope I last longer than two games this time,” Hernández said during his appearance at Dodgers All-Access on Monday night. “That’s all I’m going to say, because I don’t want to jinx it.”
Although Hernández only made two starts, it came with an immediate impact as he went 4-for-4 with two doubles, one home run and two RBI.
Now that Hernández is back in the fold, there’s some belief the Dodgers may look to trade Alex Call before the Aug. 3 deadline because his spot on the roster is somewhat redundant.
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