Kiké Hernández returned to the Dodgers after nearly two months on the injured list for left elbow inflammation. Hernández had been playing through elbow pain before being placed on the IL on July 7 and sought cortisone shots, non-invasive rehab and rest without relief. The injury severely hampered his batting, impairing his reaction time and ability to catch up to fastballs or adjust to breaking pitches. The Dodgers initially feared he might miss the remainder of the season. Hernández was reactivated ahead of the series against the Cincinnati Reds and started at third base, going 2-for-3.
"I played till, basically, I felt like I couldn't even hold the bat anymore," Hernández said. "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."
"I haven't been the most prolific hitter in the world, but I'm also not a sub-.100 hitter for a month," Hernández said. "It got very challenging. It got to the point where I felt like I couldn't catch up to the fastball. And then when I was making the right adjustments to be able to catch up to the fastball, I couldn't adjust to the breaking pitches."
Collection
[
|
...
]