Dodgers Kiké Hernández to make season debut Monday

Los Angeles Dodgers utility player Kiké Hernández is expected to make his season debut Monday when the team opens a home series against the Colorado Rockies, returning from left elbow surgery that sidelined him for the start of the 2026 season.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed Sunday that Hernández should be available for the series opener. The 34-year-old signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract in February to remain with the Dodgers. He underwent surgery in November after missing two months of the 2025 season due to elbow issues, and the procedure prevented him from playing for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic in March.

“There’s a different energy with Kiké,” Roberts said Sunday before the Dodgers’ 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. “There’s a levity. There’s an intensity. There’s a good worker in there, a winning player. So I’m looking forward to having that edge.”

Hernández batted .203 with a .255 on-base percentage, 10 home runs and 35 RBIs in 92 games with Los Angeles last season. During a rehabilitation assignment with Oklahoma City, he hit .214 with a .298 on-base percentage and three RBIs in 12 games.

While his regular-season numbers have been modest,...