The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Kiké Hernandez on the 10-day injured list with a left hand sprain and added Kristopher Negrón to their 25-man active roster ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Colorado Rockies.
Hernandez had been dogged by left hand/wrist trouble since his at-bat in the fourth inning of last Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He hunched over in pain after a swing, which prompted Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and a trainer to check on him.
Hernandez finished the at-bat — popping up — but was replaced at the start of the fifth inning. He underwent X-rays that night, which came back negative, though persisting pain prompted a subsequent MRI.
While it wasn’t until Sunday that Hernandez was officially placed on the IL, he was limited to only being available to play the field throughout the weekend series against the Washington Nationals; Hernandez didn’t appear in any of the three contests.
The injury comes at a particularly unfortunate time for Hernandez, as he’d begun to emerge from a rut. Excluding the night Hernandez was removed early, he hit .365/.431/.596 with three doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI and six walks in 17 games (12 starts) during July.
“The main difference is he’s staying in the strike zone considerably more,” Roberts explained of Hernandez’s turnaround. “I think No. 1, staying in the strike zone and using the big part of the field has been the biggest difference.
“When you’re swinging early or getting behind, it’s tough to kind of work your way back into the count. He’s doing a much better job of that.”
The Dodgers acquired Negrón on Sunday night in a trade with the Seattle Mariners. L.A. dealt Minor League infielder Daniel Castro to the Mariners in exchange for the super utility man.
Negrón only appeared in nine games for the Mariners, but additionally has Major League experience with the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks. The 33-year-old has played seven different positions throughout the course of his MLB career.
Negrón figures to receive the bulk of his opportunities at shortstop, if or when Corey Seager is provided with a game off.
