LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers have their self-described “clown in the clubhouse” back. Cue the levity, energy and intensity.
Utilityman Kiké Hernández made his season debut in a 5-3 win against the Colorado Rockies on Monday night. He went 2 for 2 with an RBI double down the third base line while batting ninth and starting at third base in place of injured Max Muncy in the series opener. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh, when the Dodgers rallied with four runs to pull out their 18th comeback win.
“It was good to have him back,” manager Dave Roberts said. “There’s a lot of emotion and adrenaline and anticipation. That’s probably the thing you got to guard against, but he did a good job managing those emotions.”
Hernández, 34, missed the first 53 games of the season recovering from offseason elbow surgery.
“It’s fixed and I’m feeling pretty good right now,” he said in the dugout before the game.
Hernández will see playing time at second and third base and possibly relieve an outfielder at times. He’ll also be available off the bench to pinch hit. Muncy is sidelined with a right wrist injury, but could return Wednesday.
Hernández had surgery to repair a torn muscle and torn extensor tendon in his left elbow during the offseason. The operation was done to fix an injury he originally suffered during the season and subsequently worsened.
“He’s a tough competitor, tough player,” Roberts said. “I don’t think anyone appreciated how severe the injury was.”
Despite the tear, Hernández gritted through the pain and helped the Dodgers win their second consecutive World Series. He appeared in all 17 playoff games, batting .250 with nine runs, one homer and seven RBIs. However, the extended play caused the tendon to detach from the bone, forcing him to undergo corrective surgery.
“It was a rough year,” he said. “The best description that I can put on it is every time I would get in my batting stance I would feel like I had a blowtorch on.”
After the World Series, an MRI revealed a lot of swelling and Hernández was left with the option of either rehab or having surgery. Not knowing what choice to make, he left the final decision to his family and his agent.
They reminded him that he’d try to play through a core injury for three years and ended up blowing out the other side of his body, leading to multiple surgeries. They urged him to make another trip to the operating room with Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
“I woke up with ElAttrache telling me, ‘This is the worst injury I’ve ever seen of this kind and I don’t know how you played,’” he said. “I told him, ‘Thank you, I take it as a compliment.’”
In a post-surgery narcotic haze, Hernández FaceTimed with Andrew Friedman and urged ElAttrache to repeat to the president of baseball operations what he had just told his patient.
Before his phone was taken away, Hernández told Friedman: “I did this for you so you better bring me back.”
Hernández signed a $4.5 million, one-year contract in February to return for his 10th season with the Dodgers.
Because of the surgery and his recovery timeline, Hernández missed the World Baseball Classic for his native Puerto Rico.
“That hurt my soul a little more than I was in pain physically last year just because I’ve been dreaming about playing in the WBC in Puerto Rico since I was 13 years old and it kind of felt like it got taken away from me,” he said. ”You got to find a way to look at positives in life. I was like, it would have sucked a lot more if we’d lost the World Series and I still didn’t get to play in the WBC. It was a fair trade.”
Last October, Hernández became the franchise leader in postseason appearances with his 87th game. He ranks eighth all-time in major league history with 103 postseason games.
He’s the fourth player of Puerto Rican descent with 100-plus career postseason appearances, joining Jorge Posada (125), Bernie Williams (121) and Yadier Molina (104).
“Doing that as a Latino is very important, especially in the city where there’s such a big Latino community and we’re living in some rough times,” he said. “Especially in this city, the last two years there’s been a lot of weird things going on, so I take the responsibility to not only represent this organization but the Latino community, the Puerto Rican community. It’s something that’s very touching to my heart.”
Starting the season on the IL was a blessing in disguise. Hernández was able to spend time with his son born in February and his daughter.
When he wasn’t waking up in pain anymore, he realized he could be back at the end of his IL stint.
“It didn’t feel like I had to rush, it didn’t feel like I was going to lose my spot,” he said. “That was very key.”
He played in 12 rehab games with Triple-A Oklahoma City, batting .214 with two doubles and three RBIs.
“I had lot of fun with those guys,” he said. “Now I’m back with my guys here and I’m ready to go.”
As the Dodgers chase a third consecutive World Series championship, Hernández will have his eye on his younger teammates when he’s not cracking everyone up.
“I’m in charge of checking guys,” he said. “I think guys know if I’m on them, and I’m tough on them, it means I care a lot about them.”
To clear a spot for Hernández, utilityman Santiago Espinal was designated for assignment.
The 31-year-old former All-Star hit .220 with three doubles, one home run and four RBIs in 26 games for the Dodgers.
“I’ll lob a call to him in the next couple days to thank him for everything he did for us,” Roberts said. “He was fantastic. Obviously, we had a tough decision to make. We were very forthright up front about the expectations. I think he respected that.”
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