Ex-Red Sox utilityman returning to the Dodgers
Kiké Hernández is returning to the defending World Series champions. The Dodgers and the infielder agreed to a deal to keep him in Los Angeles, per ESPN’s Alden González.
Hernández confirmed the news posting to his X account with the caption to his post, “walking through the open door.”
This comes on the heels of comments from Dodgers baseball operations Andrew Friedman from their team’s fan fest. Friedman told fans and reporters that the door “will never be closed” for a reunion with Hernández.
“I would love to be back,” Hernández said at a Raising Cane’s fan event right after the World Series. “I truly believe that—we won the World Series a couple of days ago, but I truly believe that this team is going to be even better next year with all the pitching reinforcements.”
The former Red Sox utilityman has played the last two seasons for the Dodgers, his second stint with the organization. He helped the Dodgers win the World Series, defeating the Yankees, batting .278 with five hits, one triple, and three runs in five games.
Hernández and his versatility will be a bench option for manager Dave Roberts next season, capping off their big offseason. The Dodgers have signed Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, Michael Conforto, and Hyeseong Kim. They also re-signed Teoscar Hernández and reliever Blake Treinen and also extended Tommy Edman.
The former Red Sox centerfielder and shortstop has been a solid contributor in the postseason, owning a career OPS of .874. He hit two huge homers for the Dodgers, including a go-ahead homer in Game 5 against the Padres.
