Upon having their season come to an end with another first-round exit in the playoffs, multiple Los Angeles Dodgers underwent respective surgeries. First announced were Yasmani Grandal and Justin Turner, and more recently, Kiké Hernandez.
Grandal and Hernandez had their shoulders operated on; though for the backstop it was his left shoulder whereas the utility man had his right shoulder cleaned up. Arthroscopic surgery was done on Turner’s left knee to remove loose bodies.
While Grandal and Turner were noticeably ailing through stretches of the season, the same can’t be said for Hernandez. He did miss time due to a hamstring strain, but never showed signs of a bothersome shoulder.
In an exclusive interview with Time Warner Cable SportsNet LA, the 24 year old revealed the shoulder issue stemmed from his days with the Miami Marlins:
“The injury started occurring last year when I started playing outfield. I’ve been throwing with pain for like two years now and I told the medical staff that I wanted to take a look at it after the season. We had an MRI done and it said they had to go in there to clean a few things.”
The Dodgers announced post-surgery Hernandez would begin rehab and is expected to be ready for Spring Training. When asked to elaborate on the timeline for his rehab, the Puerto Rican native detailed a process that involves team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache:
“In two weeks, I got to come back to LA to see Dr. ElAttrache. After that, I am ready to go. I’ll start doing therapy as soon as I get back home from seeing Dr. ElAttrache. I think I start throwing on the eighth week and then in the 12th week I should be 100 percent.”
Evolving from a role as a utility player to the Dodgers’ starting center fielder, Hernandez hit .307/.346/.490, with seven home runs and 22 RBIs. He started four of five games in the National League Division Series, collecting four hits, drawing two walks, and scoring three runs in 15 plate appearances.
