Los Angeles Dodgers utility man Enrique Hernandez is expected to make his season debut Monday after recovering from left elbow surgery.
Hernandez underwent surgery in November after missing two months of time during the 2025 season due to elbow issues. He signed a one-year contract worth $4.5 million in February to return to the Dodgers.
The surgery prevented Hernandez from playing for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic in March.
Hernandez is expected to be in Monday’s starting lineup against the Colorado Rockies.
“There’s a different energy with (Hernandez),” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Sunday. “There’s a levity. There’s an intensity. There’s a good worker in there, a winning player. So I’m looking forward to having that edge.”
The timing of Hernandez’s arrival comes with third baseman Max Muncy dealing with right wrist pain after he was by a pitch from Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Aaron Ashby on Friday.
Muncy sat out on both Saturday and Sunday and will be sent for further testing if the wrist is still sore Monday.
Muncy, 35, is batting .258 with 12 homers and 19 RBIs in 48 games this season.
Hernandez, 34, batted .203 with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs in 92 games last season. In 12 major league seasons, nine of which have been with the Dodgers over two separate stints, Hernandez is a career .236 hitter with 130 home runs and 470 RBIs in 1,275 games.
What Hernandez is known for is clutch play in the postseason. He has bashed 16 homers with 42 RBIs in 103 career playoff games while helping the Dodgers win the World Series in 2020, 2024 and 2025.
Hernandez hit five homers in the 2021 postseason for the Boston Red Sox, who reached the American League Championship Series before falling to the Houston Astros.
