The World Baseball Classic is currently underway as MLB teams prepare for the upcoming season. Unable to play for his native Puerto Rico is Los Angeles star Kiké Hernandez, who is currently recovering from elbow surgery, but is still in attendance at the event and supporting his squad.
Recently, Hernandez made a bold declaration about the WBC as it compares to the MLB's biggest stage.
The classic feels above the World Series,” said Hernandez, per Miguel Lugo of TUDN Sinaoloa on X, formerly Twitter.
Hernandez certainly knows a thing or two about the World Series, having won two straight with the Dodgers over the past two years, and looking to add a third this season, which is set to begin in a few weeks. Last year, the Dodgers had to overcome a 3-2 deficit to eventually knock off the Toronto Blue Jays in a thrilling Game 7 on the road in extra innings.
Over the last few years, the World Baseball Classic has become a major event in the weeks leading up to the MLB season, and has also drawn its fair share of discourse from MLB fans, with some opining that star players should sit the event out so as to not injure themselves ahead of the regular season.
However, the players themselves have largely been unreceptive to that idea, including newly signed Dodgers star reliever Edwin Diaz, who is currently competing for Team Puerto Rico, despite urges of caution after he was injured during the 2023 version of the event, back when he was a member of the New York Mets.
Dodgers fans will be hoping that Hernandez is able to return at some point in the near future as he recovers from his offseason elbow surgery. Los Angeles' title defense will get underway later this month with a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at home.
