MILWAUKEE (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers utilityman Kiké Hernández is expected to be activated in time to make his season debut Monday after recovering from surgery on his left elbow.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Hernández should be available for the start of their home series against the Colorado Rockies.
“There’s a different energy with Kiké,” Roberts said before the Dodgers’ Sunday game against the Milwaukee Brewers. “There’s a levity. There’s an intensity. There’s a good worker in there, a winning player. So I’m looking forward to having that edge.”
Hernández, 34, signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract in February that kept him with the Dodgers. He underwent surgery last fall that kept him from playing for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic and delayed the start of his 2026 season.
He hit .214 with a .298 on-base percentage with three RBIs in 12 games while on a rehabilitation assignment with Oklahoma City. He batted .203 with a .255 on-base percentage, 10 homers and 35 RBIs in 92 games with Los Angeles last season.
Hernández often has done his best work in October while helping the Dodgers win World Series in 2020, 2024 and 2025. He has batted .272 with an .826 OPS, 16 homers and 42 RBIs in 103 postseason games.
His return comes while Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy recovers after a 95.5-mph sinker from Milwaukee’s Aaron Ashby hit him in the right wrist on Friday. X-rays were negative and the Dodgers expressed optimism that Muncy avoided a major injury.
“We were resolved to not having him available this weekend,” Roberts said. “My expectation is that he’s getting a little bit better today and maybe swing a bat tomorrow to see. I don’t expect him in the lineup tomorrow either.”
Muncy is batting .258 with a .363 on-base percentage, .515 slugging percentage, 12 homers and 19 RBIs in 48 games.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers' Kiké Hernández watches his home run take flight against the Toronto Blue Jays during the third inning in Game 5 of baseball's World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
MADRID (AP) — Thousands of people rallied in central Madrid on Sunday against spiraling housing costs that have priced many Spaniards out of the housing market despite a recent economic boom, particularly in cities such as the country's capital and Barcelona.
Spain’s housing crisis is one of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez ’s main political vulnerabilities ahead of elections in 2027.
The country has a strong tradition of homeownership and scant public housing for rent, while rents have been driven up by increased demand, including due to tourism and population growth linked to immigration, analysts say.
The protesters chanted slogans and held banners highlighting their right to housing. “We want neighbors, not tourists,” one banner read.
Estrella Baudu, a 28-year-old teacher who was among the protesters, said she was living with her grandmother. “The situation for many young people like me is quite complicated, and it is very difficult to find a rental home due to the prices and low salaries,” she said.
The march comes a day after tens of thousands of people protested in Madrid against Sanchez, as political tensions and criticism rose over corruption allegations and dissatisfaction with the government.
Buying a home in Spain has become unaffordable for many, with market pressures and speculation driving up prices, especially in big cities and coastal areas.
Last month, Spain’ s government passed a sweeping plan worth 7 billion euros ($8.23 billion) to build more public housing over the next four years and provide help for young renters and homebuyers, among the hardest hit by high rental and home costs.
“The government may say it is taking measures, but the reality for those of us who rent is that we are receiving notices from our landlords who want to evict us," said protester Fernando de los Santos, a 36-year-old university professor. “The only thing they offer us are abusive price increases.”
A separate decree that would have extended temporary rent freezes did not pass Parliament, exposing the Sánchez government in the short term to more housing-related discontent.
Over the past few years, Spaniards have taken to the streets in numerous demonstrations across the country to protest high rental and home costs. A top demand is that the government crack down further on tourist rentals that have proliferated in city centers across Spain, which received a record 97 million international visitors last year.
Housing costs rose nearly 13% year-on-year at the end of 2025, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat.
The Bank of Spain estimates the Southern European nation of 50 million is short of 700,000 homes, comparing demand to the pace of new construction.
Associated Press writer Suman Naishadham in Madrid contributed to this report.
A woman holds a banner reading in Spanish: "Right to housing" during a protest in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, May 24, 2026, against rising housing costs that are pricing many Spaniards out of the market amid Spain's broader housing crisis. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
People take part during a protest in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, May 24, 2026, against rising housing costs that are pricing many Spaniards out of the market amid a broader housing crisis in Spain. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
A woman holds up a set of keys as a symbol of protest during a protest in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, May 24, 2026, against rising housing costs that are pricing many Spaniards out of the market amid Spain's broader housing crisis.
People take part during a protest in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, May 24, 2026, against rising housing costs that are pricing many Spaniards out of the market amid a broader housing crisis in Spain. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
People take part during a protest in Madrid, Spain, on Sunday, May 24, 2026, against rising housing costs that are pricing many Spaniards out of the market amid a broader housing crisis in Spain. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
