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The news on Kiké Hernández just got a lot worse. An MRI exam revealed a “significant tear” in his left oblique, per the LA Times, and he’s now looking at a six-to-eight-week absence. That timeline pushes a potential return deep into July at the earliest — and that’s if recovery goes smoothly.

This is a gut punch, and there’s no way to sugarcoat it. Hernández had just returned from his previous stint on the injured list, collecting two hits in an emotional comeback against the Rockies. He later admitted he had been playing through issues in 2025 and initially hid this oblique injury before it forced him out of a game. Now we know the damage is far more serious than the initial “oblique strain” designation suggested. A significant tear is a different animal entirely. The original IL placement and Kyle Freeland‘s corresponding recall were already in motion, but this timeline reframes everything.

Hernández, 34, has been a beloved figure in this organization for years. He was a key part of the 2020 World Series championship team, became a postseason legend with his performances in 2021 with the Red Sox, and returned to Los Angeles as a versatile piece who could slot in all over the diamond. His ability to play shortstop, second base, center field, and the corners gave the Dodgers a Swiss Army knife on the roster — the kind of player who makes a 162-game season manageable. Losing that flexibility for nearly two months is a real problem, not just sentimentally but structurally.

The fact that he tried to hide the injury initially adds a complicated layer to this. You respect the competitiveness, but oblique injuries are notoriously tricky. They linger when players push through them, and they get worse when they’re not treated honestly from the start. Hernández himself expressed disappointment about how he handled it, and now the extended timeline feels like a consequence of that reality. I don’t want to pile on — the guy clearly wanted to be out there — but this is exactly why teams need full transparency from their players on these things.

For the Dodgers, the roster math gets tighter. Tommy Edman is currently on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City, which helps, but he’s coming back from his own injury and isn’t a sure thing to carry a full workload right away. Max Muncy remains out as well. The middle infield and utility depth that looked manageable a week ago now looks thin. Santiago Espinal, whose reworked deal was just finalized, figures to get more run. But replacing what Hernández provides — the positional versatility, the veteran presence, the postseason pedigree — isn’t something one player can do.

We’re looking at a stretch where the front office might need to get creative. The trade deadline is still a ways off, but if Hernández’s return pushes past the All-Star break and other injuries keep stacking up, Andrew Friedman’s phone will be busy. For now, this is a significant blow to a roster that was already navigating a complicated injury landscape. Six to eight weeks is a long time. And oblique tears have a nasty habit of not cooperating with optimistic timelines.

Source(s): Staff (LA Times) | First reported: May 28, 2026 12:54 AM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers