Sunday, November 16, 2025

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2025

On Saturday, Kiké Hernández announced he had surgery on his left elbow. The injury and surgery will prevent Hernández from participating in the World Baseball Classic. The surgery might affect Hernández’s ability to sign with a major league team.

Hernández sustained the injury while sliding into home against the Cleveland Guardians during a late May game. He attempted to play with the injury but couldn’t. He missed a large chunk of the 2025 regular season because of the elbow injury. At one point during the season, Hernández thought his 2025 season was over because nothing worked to relieve the pain.

Somehow, Hernández managed to return in late August, but the injury affected his offensive performance, including during the postseason. In 92 games, he had a .203 batting average, 10 home runs, 35 RBI, and a .621 OPS.

Defensively, Hernández did his usual excellent job at first base, third base, and in left field. His enormous baseball IQ helped the Los Angeles Dodgers to win back-to-back World Championships. He quipped, “I brought a pencil to the group project and got an A.”

Hernández played down his importance to the 2025 Dodgers. His veteran leadership is immeasurable. His flamboyant personality kept his teammates loose. During a 162-game season, every team needs a goofball, and for the Dodgers, Kiké Hernández is the goofball. The Dodgers need to re-sign him if he can play at all.