LOS ANGELES -- A crestfallen Kiké Hernández stood at his locker. Just one day before, the utility man had spoken from the heart about his gratitude to be back on a big league field. But after just two games and four plate appearances, Hernández is headed back to the injured list.
Hernández was removed from Tuesday night's 15-6 win over the Rockies at Dodger Stadium due to a left oblique strain. Infielder Alex Freeland is en route from Triple-A Oklahoma City to fill Hernández's spot on the active roster.
"It's a bummer," manager Dave Roberts said. "He's missed a lot of time and worked hard to get back, was in great shape, added that spark that we had hoped. … I just feel bad for him because he wanted to be back with us and worked hard."
The Dodgers were well on their way to a blowout victory after a fourth inning that saw them stack four runs, but it came with some unfortunate side effects when both Hernández and Shohei Ohtani exited afterward. Hernández was visibly uncomfortable when running the bases after hitting a double, while Ohtani was hit by a pitch on his right hand.
While Ohtani's hand feels good enough that the two-way superstar will make his scheduled start on the mound Wednesday, the Dodgers won't know more about the severity of Hernández's injury until he undergoes testing. He will likely be out a few weeks at minimum.
"Yeah, I mean, frustrating to say the least," Hernández said. "Not just because I missed time, but me coming back got somebody off the roster. Those types of things. I was only able to give the team four at-bats. Yeah, tough. I feel pretty defeated right now. Hopefully, we get somewhat good news tomorrow."
Hernández began the season on the 60-day IL while recovering from offseason surgery on his left elbow, which had hampered him for much of last season. He was activated just after his 60 days were up, but before making his season debut on Monday, he tweaked his side during batting practice.
Initially, Hernández thought it was "just weird tightness." He had not dealt with an oblique injury before, and he only felt discomfort while swinging, so he hoped he could play through it. After going 2-for-2 on Monday, Hernández homered in his first at-bat Tuesday, which felt "awful." At that point, he started feeling his oblique while making throws from third base and running the bases, and he knew he needed to stop playing.
"I was embarrassed because it didn't even happen in the game, it happened in BP," Hernández said. "So I just thought that it was a small tweak, and it felt tight. And I mean, compared to some of the things I've played through in the past, it was nothing. And yeah, it was a little more than nothing."
After Hernández was replaced on defense in the fifth inning, he was seen speaking to Roberts in the dugout. That was when Hernández first informed Roberts about what he was feeling.
"He understood how frustrated I was, and he was trying to get me to keep my head up," Hernández said. "Honestly, at that point I was kind of not there, so I'm not necessarily sure everything that he said to me. He said that he was sorry that this happened to me, and I told him I was sorry, too, for not being able to post and just play the rest of the year."
When Hernández spoke ahead of his season debut, he underscored how patience helped him through his months-long recovery from his elbow surgery. After his latest setback, it will take a little more patience until he can get back on the diamond once again.