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The Los Angeles Dodgers are in a tight NL West division race with the San Diego Padres. Even after re-taking the lead after Saturday's win, they could use all the help they can get. Kike Hernandez has been on the long Dodgers injury list since early July, when he hurt his elbow. The Athletic's Fabia Ardaya has a big update on the utilityman.
“Kiké Hernández and Hyeseong Kim are taking batting practice today. For Hernández, it's particularly notable: swinging a bat was what brought him most discomfort while he was attempting to play with his left elbow issue,” Ardaya reported.
Hernandez was huge in the Dodgers' playoff run last year, posting an .808 OPS in 14 games while playing three different positions. It brought his playoff OPS down to .874, which is a remarkable rate for a player with a regular-season OPS of .709. Despite the Dodgers' high payroll and Hall-of-Fame names, they lean on Hernandez tremendously in October.
The Dodgers signed Hyeseong Kim in the offseason to help with their thin infield. He's only played 58 games, but has a stellar .304 batting average in that sample. While he was healthy, he played centerfield, second base, and third base. The Dodgers could really use him in the infield, where Tommy Edman and Mookie Betts are having rough offensive seasons.
The Dodgers are struggling lately, entering Sunday with a 14-21 record since July 4. They have lost eight games in the standings to the Padres, which briefly cost them the division lead. But on Sunday, they can open up a two-game lead by taking the series against their rivals.
The Dodgers will benefit from getting these two utility fielders back on the field and in their lineup. They are the type of players that made the difference in the World Series last year, and that should continue in October.
