The Los Angeles Dodgers activated utility man Kiké Hernandez off the injured list, the team announced Monday.
In a corresponding roster move, the Dodgers designated infielder/outfielder Santiago Espinal for assignment.
Hernandez, a Dodgers fan favorite, has had quite the journey since the team reached World Series glory in October. The utility man underwent offseason elbow surgery after playing through injury all of 2025.
It was known Hernandez would miss a few months of the season, but the Dodgers still brought him back on a one-year deal in 2026. Now, the team welcomes one of their most clutch players in the postseason ahead of their series opener with the Colorado Rockies.
The Dodgers were mulling over three options in lieu of Hernandez's return to the team. The Dodgers could have optioned Hyeseong Kim to Triple-A, placed Max Muncy on the injured list or cut ties with Espinal.
LA chose the latter, which means a team can pick up Espinal in the next 10 days or trade for him to bypass waivers.
But if Espinal did clear waivers the Dodgers would be able to retain the veteran.
Espinal hit .220 with one home run, four RBIs and an OPS of .604 across 26 games for LA this season. He was a spring breakout who unexpectedly made the roster after a strong performance in Cactus League.
Espinal batted .412 with two home runs, 13 RBIs, three doubles, and 12 runs scored throughout the spring. The hot performance at the plate him earned him a roster spot with the back-to-back World Series champions.
