Enrique Hernandez made his first big-league appearance since Game 7 of the World Series on Monday night at Dodger Stadium, drawing loud cheers before his first at-bat and delivering an RBI double in the bottom of the third as the Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 5-3.
Hernández was greeted by chants from the crowd of 48,778 and ripped a double that scored Hyeseong Kim in the third inning. He reached on an infield single in his second at-bat and was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning as the Dodgers closed out the win.
The game marked the 34-year-old's return after an offseason operation on his left elbow. Hernández signed a one-year, $4.5-million deal with the Dodgers in February and rejoined the roster when the team designated Santiago Espinal for assignment to create a spot for him.
Hernández said the injury had been an ongoing struggle. "Every time I would get in my batting stance, I would feel like I had a blowtorch on, and it was kind of frustrating because there was not much we could do for it," he said, describing the pain that dogged him through the postseason. He also acknowledged the toll the condition took on his arm: during a two-month injured list stint last year, he received seven injections in the left elbow and later had surgery after the season.
Hernández added a layer of perspective about choices he made to play through the injury late last season. "In a weird way, I would’ve rather missed the WBC and win a World Series than getting to fulfill a life dream of playing in Puerto Rico after losing a World Series," he said, later summing up the outcome: "It was a fair trade."
The seriousness of the elbow problem drew a blunt assessment from team surgeon Neal ElAttrache. "This was the worst injury I’ve ever seen of this kind, and I don’t know how you played," ElAttrache said, underlining why the club and player took a cautious approach to Hernandez’s recovery.
Manager Dave Roberts noted there remains work to do at the plate. "He’s back to chasing [too many pitches out of the strike zone]," Roberts said, adding: "He’s passive when he shouldn’t be, and then he’s getting into bad counts. I don’t know if it’s a mechanical thing, but he’s been grinding the last – quite honestly, the last month it’s been kind of tough for him." The comment framed a tension in the night: a deserved, vocal welcome and a meaningful offensive play, alongside visible reasons for lineup caution.
Context matters. Hernández missed spring training and opening day for the first time in his career after the injury flared when he dove for a ball in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. He pushed through pain to finish the postseason with the Dodgers and then underwent surgery that left the timeline for his return uncertain.
The immediate next step is roster stability and at-bats. The Dodgers have added Hernandez back to the active group and needed to clear a spot by moving Espinal off the roster, but Roberts’ evaluation suggests Hernandez will have to earn consistent playing time while regaining timing. For now, the sight of Hernández rounding second with a loud Dodger Stadium behind him underlined why the club brought him back: as he told team medical staff in the offseason, "I did this for you, so you better bring me back." He returned Monday and gave the Dodgers exactly the kind of play they hoped he could still make.
