LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers activated Kiké Hernandez from the injured list following offseason elbow surgery, while Santiago Espinal was the odd man out and was designated for assignment on Monday.
Hernandez is set to make his season debut after playing in 12 games during a minor league rehab assignment where he batted .214 with two doubles and three RBIs at Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Hernandez’s left elbow injury forced him to miss more than seven weeks, mostly in the second half last season. He thought his season might be finished before slight improvement with the injury allowed him to make his return on Aug. 26.
Despite residual discomfort, Hernandez played in all 17 postseason games, seeing time mostly in left field after Michael Conforto was not included on the playoff roster. He batted .250 in the playoffs with one home run and seven RBIs.
Hernandez underwent surgery immediately after the team’s second consecutive World Series title was secured.
Espinal earned his spot on the Opening Day roster by batting .378 with two home runs and 13 RBIs in 19 Cactus League games. He signed as a free agent with the Dodgers in February after spending the past two seasons with the Cincinnati Reds.
An American League All-Star in 2022 with the Toronto Blue Jays, Espinal was batting .238 with one home run and four RBIs in 26 games for the Dodgers this season.
In parting ways with Espinal, the Dodgers elected to keep infielder Hyeseong Kim on the roster despite his recent struggles. Kim is batting .255 in 40 games this season but is batting just .150 over his last 14 games.
More to come on this story.
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