Kiké Hernández Reveals Reason for His Slow Start to Dodgers’ 2025 Season
Kiké Hernández’s start to the 2025 season has not been ideal.
The two-time World Series champion is slashing .103/.163/.410 through 12 games. Hernández has struck out in over a third of his at-bats, recording 14 strikeouts across 39 at-bats.
Although Hernández is striking out a lot, when he is able to make contact with the ball, he is hitting them out of the park. The utility man has hit four home runs so far this season, which is already a third of the 12 of home runs he hit in 2025.
“Not great,” Hernández said to the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett about the start of his 2025 season. “I guess it could be worse. I could have three singles instead of three homers.”
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Hernández suffered a stomach bug that triggered vomiting, making it difficult for him to hold down solid foods. The illness kept Hernández out of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting lineup on Opening Day.
“Coming into the season, I was feeling great, and then I started throwing up a lot, and I didn’t see pitching for a week,” Hernández said.
In addition to Hernández, outfielder Mookie Betts was also dealing with a similar illness. Betts lost nearly 20 pounds through his recovery then hit two go-ahead home runs and a walk-off three-run homer in the 10th inning in his first game back.
But Hernández has not bounced back as quickly as Betts.
“When I got back to playing, I got reminded that not everybody’s Mookie Betts. Not everybody can miss two weeks of playing and come back like nothing had happened,” Hernández said.
Despite Hernández’s frustrating early-season struggles, the 33-year-old is staying patient with himself throughout his recovery.
“Trying to be understanding with myself, kind of be patient and gentle with myself, because it’s not that easy,” Hernández said. “Not necessarily happy with all the swing and misses and the chase. That’s something that I didn’t do in spring training. So just trying to get back to being me and not trying to do too much.”
There is still a long season ahead, giving Hernández plenty of time to change the trajectory of his ninth season with the Dodgers.
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Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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