Triple-A Oklahoma City has been a busy place for Dodgers on the mend for the past few weeks, with rehab assignments piling up over the last few days. Utility man Kiké Hernández is the latest to work his way back with the Comets, starting a rehab assignment on Tuesday night.
Hernández on Tuesday started at third base and batted second against the Salt Lake Bees, an Angels affiliate.
Hernández is coming off left elbow surgery in November, and also missed 40 games last July and August with left elbow inflammation.
Oklahoma City Comets play-by-play announcer Alex Freedman during the broadcast in the first inning on Tuesday said Hernández mentioned earlier during batting practice that this was the first time he’s felt fully healthy in about a year.
This is going to be a lengthy rehab for Hernández, who has been on the 60-day injured list since February, and his earliest possible return to the Dodgers is May 24.
Hernández is the fourth Dodger to play for Oklahoma City since Saturday. Blake Snell pitched four innings in Round Rock on Sunday, and is expected to make one more rehab start this coming Saturday at a location to be determined. Brock Stewart rehabbed for three weeks with Ontario and Oklahoma City, and is back with the Dodgers in Houston, though he has not yet been activated off the injured list. Brusdar Graterol pitched in his first game in 549 days on Saturday, and is expected to be on a long rehab assignment as he returns from November 2024 shoulder surgery.
Other Dodgers on the mend
Tommy Edman is coming off right ankle surgery in November, and though he’s not (yet) on the 60-day injured list, he’s behind Hernández on the rehab calendar. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Monday in Houston that Edman felt some soreness in his ankle, so they’ve slowed down his rehab program, which has been on the cautious said since the offseason.
Mookie Betts could be on a rehab assignment soon, as he works his way back from an oblique strain.
“Mookie is working on his bat speed. He feels good. I would say he’s going to get out on a rehab soon. Whether it’s this week — he’s supposed to a simulated game, like a live BP on Thursday,” Roberts said Monday, as shown on SportsNet LA. “If he does his live BP on Thursday and comes out okay, then you can sort of figure out where he goes next.”
Betts was injured on March 4 in Washington D.C., and last week on the homestand said doctors initially told him he’d miss six weeks. This Saturday is the five-week mark for Betts, who said he was ahead of schedule but also cautioned that the nature of oblique injuries requires patience.
“It’s just time. There’s no magic formula to this. You can do as much rehab as you want. Obliques just take time, it’s always four to six weeks, no matter however you want to twist it,” Betts said on April 29 at Dodger Stadium. “We’re kind of approaching the four-week mark. Once I get to that point is when we’ll really turn the corner. We’re close, and after that it’s going to get a lot better.”
