Kiké Hernández is returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The source? Himself.
Hernández broke the news on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Monday after reports indicated the veteran utility player was close to signing a one-year contract with Los Angeles.
Hernández tweeted: “Sources say….. I’m back!!! 1st to break news @myself”
Hernández, one of the most versatile players in Major League Baseball, is coming off a 2023 season split between the Dodgers and Red Sox. He started the year with Boston, where he spent 2021 and 2022, before a July trade to Los Angeles that netted the Red Sox a couple of minor-league relievers.
The deal was a homecoming for Hernández, a sixth-round pick of the Houston Astros in 2009 who blossomed into a key contributor for Los Angeles from 2015 to 2020. It led to improved results on the field, too, as Hernández slashed .262/.308/.423 with five home runs and 30 RBIs in 54 games (185 plate appearances) with the Dodgers last season after posting a .222/.279/.320 line with six homers and 31 RBIs in 86 games (323 plate appearances) with the Red Sox.
The Athletic reported over the weekend that Hernández was choosing between four teams in free agency: the Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. Instead, he’ll return to the Dodgers, who reportedly are trading Manuel Margot to the Twins.
Hernández endeared himself to Red Sox fans in 2021 with a solid season that included an excellent performance in the playoffs. The 32-year-old is no stranger to thriving on the big stage, which is where the Dodgers hope to find themselves again in 2024 after a massive offseason that included signing two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
