Days of Our Lives Comings & Goings: Javi Recast Actor Announced
Last August, it was announced that the role of Javi Hernandez was being recast on Days of Our Lives, and now the identity of the new actor stepping into the character’s shoes has finally been revealed.
Taking Over
Javi debuted in October 2024 and was played by Al Calderon, who confirmed in August 2025 that he would be exiting the soap as he had landed a role on the NBC prime time series Brilliant Minds. Javi left the canvas in January 2026 following his disastrous wedding to Leo (Greg Rikaart), but that wasn’t the end of Calderon’s run. He returned to the soap in April to continue telling Javi’s story until the recast steps in.
Deadline broke the news that actor Jacob Martinez will be the new Javi, and he is scheduled to take over the role beginning with the episode streaming on Peacock on Tuesday, June 30.
DAYS will mark Martinez’s daytime debut. The actor’s credits include the short film Memory Swim and stage productions of the musical In Pieces and the play Dog Sees God. In addition to his acting, he is also a registered EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), which is, coincidentally, what Javi’s career is on DAYS.
Currently on the soap, Javi is on the outs with Leo because his ex, Dimitri (Peter Porte), returned to Salem and interrupted their wedding. While the grooms did exchange vows, Javi could tell his new husband wasn’t over his ex, and decided they should not file the wedding certificate until things were sorted out.
Javi left town in January to get some space and also care for his ailing father, who was undergoing bypass surgery. When Javi returned to Salem a few months later, things between him and Leo remained tense, especially with Dimitri’s continued interference. While Leo insisted that Javi was the one he truly loved, Javi revealed that he’d moved on with someone else while he’d been away. So Martinez will be stepping right into the middle of plenty of drama when he takes over the role of Javi at the end of June.
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