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The Dodgers made it official on Tuesday: Kiké Hernández is headed back to the 10-day injured list with the left oblique strain he suffered during his emotional return to the lineup, and Alex Freeland has been recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City as the corresponding roster move, per Dodger Blue staff. It’s the transaction we all saw coming after Hernández admitted he initially tried to hide the injury, but seeing it in print still stings.

Hernández’s return was supposed to be the feel-good story of the week. He had just revealed what he played through during the 2025 season, collected two hits in a rally against the Rockies, and looked like a guy ready to contribute again. Then the oblique flared up, he left the game, and now we’re right back where we started. Oblique strains are tricky — they don’t always heal on the initial IL stint timeline, and for a player like Hernández who relies on rotational explosiveness from both sides of the plate as a switch-hitter, this is the kind of injury that can linger. The 10-day IL is the minimum, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this stretches beyond that. He’s 34 years old and the Dodgers will want to be careful here, especially given how this one snuck up on him mid-game.

Freeland, meanwhile, is back in the big leagues after a brief two-week stint with the Oklahoma City Comets. The 24-year-old infielder was optioned earlier this month to make room on the roster, and now gets another crack at proving he belongs. Freeland was the Dodgers’ second-round pick in the 2022 draft out of Central Florida and has steadily climbed through the system. He’s shown solid defensive versatility — capable of playing third base and shortstop — and the bat has been developing, though he’s still looking to establish himself as a consistent contributor at the highest level. His glove should play immediately, which matters on a roster that’s been juggling infield pieces all season.

This is the kind of roster churn that tests a team’s depth, and right now the Dodgers are being tested plenty. Max Muncy is still out. Tommy Edman just started a rehab assignment with Oklahoma City. The infield has been a revolving door. Freeland stepping in doesn’t replace what Hernández brings as a veteran presence and utility weapon, but it does give Dave Roberts a defensively capable body who can handle multiple positions.

The bigger concern here is the pattern. Hernández coming back, getting hurt again almost immediately, and admitting he tried to play through it — that’s not a great sequence. We need him healthy for the stretch run, not pushing through setbacks in late May. For now, Freeland gets his opportunity, and the Dodgers keep grinding through what’s been a brutal stretch of injury news. The depth is being asked to carry a heavy load, and so far it’s bending but not breaking. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Source(s): Staff (Dodger Blue) | First reported: May 28, 2026 12:48 AM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers