Kiké Hernández coming back to life bodes well for Dodgers’ postseason

The 2026 season has, in many ways, been a lost one for Kiké Hernandez. Offseason elbow surgery cost him the early part of the season, and then after just two games back the veteran utility-man landed on the IL yet again, this time with a severe oblique strain.

All in all, Hernandez managed just 41 games played and compiled 96 plate appearances this season. The 35-year-old hit a rather uninspiring .222/.271/.400 and posted a replacement level player-esque 0.0 fWAR.

Of course, does any of that really matter? The man is a certified postseason legend. Even if last year's playoff performance, a .250/.290/.359 line wasn't up to his lofty standards, you can never count Hernandez out in October. For his career, he's played 103 postseason games and slashed .272/.339/.486 with 16 playoff home runs.

Hernandez's actual final game of the season was an uneventful 0-for-2 affair. However, in the game before that, on September 26 against the San Francisco Giants, he hit a massive home run in the top of the ninth to break a 3-3 tie. The blast ultimately was the deciding factor in the game.

It was the last of a mini three-game hitting streak that saw Hernandez man three different positions: left field, center field, second base, and first base during the span. It's pretty clear that Kiké is already in prime postseason form.

Kiké Hernandez's game-winning homer proves his ready to be the playoff X-factor that the Dodgers sorely need

You'd like to feel as if the Dodgers were firing on all cylinders heading into the playoffs and looking for a three-peat, but that's not really the case. While they've mostly avoided the worst-case scenario, the Dodgers are watching many of their top stars battle nagging injuries.

Freddie Freeman has dealt with a sore knee. Injuries had piled up on Shohei Ohtani, forcing him to the IL, though since being activated on September 23, he has looked like his old self in the batter's box. Dalton Rushing's elbow will have him limited throughout October.

For most of the second half, Los Angeles's offense has not been clicking on all cylinders. While it's not uncommon for teams to be hurting at this late juncture, it's even more uncommon for a club to carry the weight that the Dodgers have had thrust upon them in their quest to become the first NL team to win three consecutive World Series titles.

Every advantage matters. For the Dodgers, having a proven playoff performer with ice water in his veins is a big boost. Frankly, they could just roll out Hernandez for October every year, and he will have earned his contract. If he comes up big and helps the team to yet another ring, no one will care that he missed the vast majority of the season.

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