With Spring Training starting this week, some veterans are still looking for homes. Enrique Hernandez found his, the same as the one he had in 2024. The 33-year-old is coming back to the Dodgers, giving Los Angeles a switchblade who can slot in against left-handed pitching.
A Look at Hernandez
The 2024 campaign saw Enrique Hernandez win his second World Series title with the Dodgers, four years after he hit two home runs during the 2020 MLB Playoffs. Like in 202, Hernandez played a key role in Los Angeles’ October success.
Hernandez hit .294/.357/.451 (.808 OPS) during the 2024 Postseason, with two home runs and three extra-base hits. He was a nightmare for the Mets in the NLCS, recording multi-hit games in three of the six contests.
Kiké is a savvy hitter, one who will hit for pop but is quite good at putting ball in play. He also showed ability to stay back on offspeed, hitting .326 on those pitches last season. Hernandez posted above-average chase and whiff rates during the regular season, where his production wasn’t as stellar.
Hernandez hit just .229/.281/.373 (.654 OPS) with 12 home runs and 28 extra-base hits over 126 contests. It was the second-straight season Kiké posted a sub-.700 OPS.
Much like he had in the past, Hernandez got plenty of work across the diamond. The 33-year-old saw time at first, second, third, short, left, and center field. Hernandez played mostly at third, however, as he spent significant time at the hot corner when Max Muncy was injured.
Enrique Hernandez confirmed he’s re-signing with the Dodgers on his TikTok account.
Analysis
The Dodgers likely won’t call upon Hernandez to log regular time in 2025. Los Angeles’ lineup is incredibly deep. However, there will be opportunity nonetheless for the Dodgers to get him work.
Hernandez, as a right-handed bat, hits lefties well, better than same-sided pitchers. Granted, his slash line of .235/.278/.404 (.682 OPS) against left-handed pitchers wasn’t eye-popping. But, those numbers were better than against righties.
With left-handed bats Max Muncy (3B) and Hyeseong Kim (2B) around, Hernandez should get time against left-handed pitchers.
Hernandez announced he re-signed with the Dodgers on February 9, one day before the five-year anniversary of the Mookie Betts trade. Make sure to take a look at our retrospective of the move.