Free-agent infielder/outfielder Kiké Hernández announced Saturday on social media that he underwent surgery on the left elbow that had troubled him for much of the 2025 season.
Hernández, who had 16 postseason hits in helping the Dodgers to their second consecutive World Series title and his third with the club, will miss the opportunity to play for his native Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic next spring.
Hernández did not offer a timetable for his return.
The 34-year-old said he'd been playing hurt for about a month when he went on the injured list with left elbow inflammation on July 7. He returned on Aug. 26 but played just 93 games in 2025.
"I played [until], basically, I felt like I couldn't even hold the bat anymore," Hernández said upon his return from the IL. "And I mean, it was kind of dumb on my end. But I've always felt that if I feel like I could play, I'm not going to go on the IL. By the time we went in for the MRI, it was a little too late."
Hernández, a 12-year MLB veteran, said he believed at one point that he would be out for the season because of the elbow injury. Though he struggled for much of the year, he provided a boost down the stretch, with eight hits in his final 26 regular-season at-bats, including two home runs.
For the season, Hernández batted just .203 with 10 homers and 35 RBIs.
Hernández was involved in two of the most dramatic plays in World Series history. He closed out Game 6 against the Blue Jays with a double play on a line drive to left field, nabbing Addison Barger at second base.
In the bottom of the ninth of a 4-4 tie in Game 7, Hernández collided with Andy Pages on a fly ball to the left-center-field warning track by Ernie Clement.
Pages made the catch, saving the Dodgers' season in the process.