The Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in the middle of a tightly contested battle in the National League West. Entering play on Saturday, the Dodgers are in a tie with the San Diego Padres for the No. 1 seed in their division, making the final two contests of their ongoing three-game series very important.
All year long, Los Angeles has gotten battered by injuries, and with their grip on the division loosening, they are going to need some reinforcements soon. Luckily, manager Dave Roberts provided a pair of encouraging injury updates on Kike Hernandez and Hyeseong Kim that will surely excite Dodgers fans.
Dave Roberts Provides Kike Hernandez, Hyeseong Kim Injury Updates
While L.A.’s pitching staff has largely taken the brunt of the team’s injury woes, the lineup hasn’t exactly gotten off scot-free either. The versatile Hernandez has been on the injured list since the middle of July with left elbow inflammation, while Kim is dealing with left shoulder bursitis that landed him on the injured list in late July.
Hernandez and Kim aren’t exactly the Dodgers’ best hitters, but they need all the help they can get. Hernandez is hitting just .195 with eight home runs and 22 RBIs this season, but his defensive versatility makes him a critical piece of Roberts’ plans. Kim has been much better at the plate this season, hitting .304 with two home runs, 15 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases, while also taking the field at several different positions.
With other guys like Tommy Edman and Max Muncy also on the injured list, the returns of Hernandez and Kim would be huge for Los Angeles. According to Roberts, Hernandez is in line to return next week when the Dodgers begin a new series against the Cincinnati Reds, while Kim is also a candidate to find his way back on the field next week if his rehab assignment goes well.
“Hyeseong Kim is going to keep getting some work in left field on his rehab assignment per Dave Roberts,” Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic shared in a post on X. “He is an option to be active next weekend. Kiké Hernández will be active some time during the CIN series.”
Dodgers Need All the Help They Can Get in Quest to Win the NL West
GettyLos Angeles Dodgers rookie Hyeseong Kim
This is great news for the Dodgers, as their lineup could sorely use some extra help down the stretch. Having superstars like Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman is great, but they have been shouldering an even bigger workload than usual to help keep Los Angeles on track throughout the season.
After a busy trade deadline, the Padres are rolling, and they are going to be a real threat to snatch the division title away from L.A. To this point, the Dodgers have done a great job of keeping them at arm’s length, but they are going to need more if they intend to finish them off. After suffering a 2-1 defeat against San Diego on Friday night, Los Angeles will look to get back in the win column when they return to action on Saturday at 8:40 p.m. ET.
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