With the National League West division seemingly locked up for a seventh consecutive season, the main focus for the Los Angeles Dodgers at the moment is getting all of their key players healthy for another postseason run.
One of those who is currently out with an injury is Kiké Hernandez as he has not played since July 24 due to a left hand sprain. The injury did not come at an ideal time considering Chris Taylor was already out with a hand/wrist injury of his own.
It not only cut into the Dodgers’ infield depth but their versatility as well. Additionally, Hernandez was one of the hottest hitters on the team at the time, batting .362/.431/.586 with three home runs and 11 RBI in his final 19 games before the injury.
While Hernandez has been progressing a little slower than expected, there was a positive update on him on Tuesday afternoon. According to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group, Hernandez took batting practice for the first time since the sprain and hopes to soon begin a rehab assignment:
#Dodgers Kiké Hernandez said he took live BP today for first time since injuring his left hand. Will do it again tomorrow. Could go on rehab assignment over weekend. “Hopefully” activated during homestand next week
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) August 13, 2019
In addition to Hernandez and Taylor, the Dodgers could also be getting Alex Verdugo, David Freese, Jedd Gyorko, Rich Hill and Ross Stripling back in the month of September.
The Dodgers’ depth is perhaps the best in the league as they haven’t skipped a beat with all of those regulars out with injuries. The likes of Kristopher Negrón, Matt Beaty, Edwin Rios, Dustin May and many others have excelled as fill-ins in recent weeks.
Hernandez’s ability to play literally every position on the field in addition to excelling against left-handed pitching at the plate essentially makes him irreplaceable. He also had a memorable three-home-run game in the 2017 National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs.
Overall in 98 games this season, the 27-year-old has hit .238/.309/.433 with 16 home runs and 52 RBI.
