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Dodgers' $4.5M fan-favorite versatile defender nearing return after battling offseason injury

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The Dodgers are set to get one of their fan favorites back in the coming days. This is huge news for LA as the season is almost at the halfway point.

Dodgers' $4. 5M fan-favorite versatile defender nearing return after battling offseason injury originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

The Los Angeles Dodgers are already sitting at over 30 wins this season, and while they have looked human at times in 2026, things are starting to get scary now that they are becoming healthy again. One player the Dodgers have missed all season is fan favorite Kiké Hernández. Hernández re-signed with Los Angeles in free agency despite undergoing offseason surgery.

“According to multiple reports, Hernández's deal is for one-year, $4. 5 million. The longtime fan favorite at Dodger Stadium underwent surgery on his left elbow over the offseason and is not expected to be ready for Opening Day,” USA Today’s Andres Soto wrote.

Hernández has recently been on a rehab assignment, and everything appears to be progressing well. Most importantly, he says he is finally pain free following surgery. “I knew it was going to be a long rehab.