Kiké Hernández, the veteran utility player, announced he would be returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers shortly after the team dealt Manuel Margot to the Minnesota Twins.
After much speculation, Kiké Hernández is once again returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
And it was Hernández himself who confirmed the transaction Monday afternoon.
Although Hernández claimed to be the first to report the news, ESPN’s Jeff Passan had already revealed a few minutes earlier that the Dodgers were inching closer to signing the free agency utility guy to a one-year deal. According to a source from Mark Feinsand of MLB.com over the weekend, Hernández intended to finalize a deal by Sunday or Monday.
Among the other teams with a close relationship to Hernández were the Los Angeles Angels.
Only a few minutes prior, the Dodgers had traded outfielder Manuel Margot to the Minnesota Twins in order to create room on the roster for Hernández. Alongside Tyler Glasnow, Margot moved to Los Angeles from the Tampa Bay Rays in December.
Sources say….. I’m back!!!
1st to break news @myself
— Enrique Hernández (@kikehndez) February 26, 2024
After winning the World Series, Hernández signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox, but he played for the Dodgers from 2015 to 2020. However, Hernández returned to Los Angeles after being moved by Boston during the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline, and the veteran’s batting average and on-base percentage both increased by 40 and 132 points, respectively.
In his 10-year big league career, Hernández has hit .239 with 108 home runs, 393 RBI, a .719 OPS and a 16.4 WAR. Hernández is primarily a center fielder and middle infielder, but he has logged plenty of innings in the corner outfield and infield spots over the years.
Hernández gives Los Angeles an option at shortstop if former top prospect Gavin Lux needs more time to shake off the rust that comes with missing all of 2023 with a torn ACL. He also joins a deep outfield rotation that already featured James Outman, Jayson Heyward and Teoscar Hernández, without even mentioning right fielder-turned-second baseman Mookie Betts.
