Enrique Hernández injury: Free agent will miss World Baseball Classic following elbow surgery

Enrique Hernández, a free-agent utility player most recently employed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, announced on his personal Instagram account on Saturday afternoon that he recently underwent surgery on his left elbow to repair an injury that had impacted him throughout the summer. Additionally, he conceded that his recovery will cause him to miss next spring’s World Baseball Classic. He was supposed to suit up for Puerto Rico’s team.

Hernández initially injured his elbow in May. Continuing to play through the malady resulted in him suffering a bone fracture, he said. Notably, he did not offer a timetable on his return other than saying it would cost him an appearance in what would have served as his third World Baseball Classic tournament.

Hernández, 34, hit .203/.255/.366 (72 OPS+) with 10 home runs and 35 runs batted in over the course of 92 games. Despite his injury and regular-season struggles, he was a constant presence in the lineup through the Dodgers’ World Series run. He appeared in 17 of those contests, driving in seven runs and contributing a positive Win Probability Added, according to Baseball Reference’s calculations. 

“There is mutual interest in another reunion with Hernández and the Dodgers,” according to The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. Should those sides agree to terms on a new deal, Hernández will return to Los Angeles for part of a 10th season. He’s already the franchise’s all-time leader in playoff appearances (though that’s a statistic that speaks to this particular era’s postseason bloat as much as anything).

In parts of 12 seasons overall, Hernández has hit .236/.305/.403 (91 OPS+) while seeing action at almost every defensive position. He’s tallied nearly 18 Wins Above Replacement along the way.