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Kiké Hernández exited Tuesday’s game against the Rockies in the top of the fifth inning with a left oblique strain, per DodgerBlue.com. Hyeseong Kim entered to replace him at second base. The timing here is brutal — Hernández had just been activated from the 60-day injured list and collected two hits in an emotional return on Monday night.

Hernández, 34, has been a beloved figure in the Dodgers organization since his first stint with the club from 2015 to 2020, where he became known for his postseason heroics and defensive versatility. He returned to Los Angeles ahead of the 2024 season after stops in Boston and with other clubs, and he’s been a glue guy in the clubhouse ever since. Before this latest setback, Hernández had openly discussed the injuries he played through during the 2025 season — a testament to his toughness but also a reminder that his body has been through a lot. His 60-day IL stint this year was supposed to get him fully right. Two hits on Monday suggested that was the case. One game later, we’re back to square one.

The oblique is one of the more frustrating injuries in baseball. It’s not catastrophic, but it lingers. Players who try to come back too early almost always re-aggravate it. For a veteran like Hernández who already spent months on the shelf, this could mean another extended absence. The Dodgers haven’t announced a specific timeline yet, but oblique strains typically require at least a few weeks of recovery, and that’s on the optimistic end.

Kim stepping in at second base is the obvious short-term solution. He’s shown he can handle the position defensively, and the Dodgers have enough roster flexibility to absorb the loss for a stretch. But this goes deeper than just plugging a hole. Hernández provides a right-handed bat, veteran presence, and positional flexibility that’s hard to replicate. Losing him again, this soon after getting him back, is a real blow to a roster already dealing with injuries to Max Muncy and others.

I’ll be honest — watching Hernández get pulled after just one game back stings. Monday night felt like a genuine feel-good moment for this team. He was locked in, the crowd was into it, and it looked like the Dodgers were finally getting some reinforcements. Now we wait for imaging results and hope this isn’t as bad as oblique injuries tend to be. The Dodgers already DFA’d Santiago Espinal to make room for Hernández’s return, so the roster math gets even tighter if Hernández heads back to the IL. This is one of those situations where the front office might need to act quickly to fill the gap.

Source(s): Staff (DodgerBlue.com) | First reported: May 27, 2026 3:44 AM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers