Free agent infielder/outfielder Enrique Hernández underwent double hernia surgery on October 24, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The utility player is expected to resume baseball activities in three to four weeks, which should allow him to have a fairly normal offseason and Spring Training.
It’s unknown exactly when this issue cropped up but it’s possible it has been bothering him for a while. Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic relayed today that Hernández had surgery on a hematoma in his psoas muscle last year. He made multiple trips to the injured list in 2022 with what was called a right hip flexor strain, though McCaffrey’s reporting from September of 2022 states that the issue “turned into an abdominal strain created by a hematoma in the psoas muscle, located between the lower part of his spine and his upper thigh. Hernández had blood drained through a needle in his spine and received a PRP shot around the All-Star break to accelerate the healing.”
Hernández, now 32, hit .237/.312/.432 for the Dodgers over 463 games from 2017 to 2020. That amounted to a wRC+ of 98, indicating he was just 2% below league average in that time, as he served as a versatile player that could be plugged into many places. He played every position except catcher in that stretch, even making an appearance on the mound.
He was able to parlay those results into a two-year, $14MM deal with the Red Sox going into 2021. He first season of the deal went very well, with Hernández getting his batting line up to .250/.337/.449 and his wRC+ to 109. Unfortunately, he dipped to a line of .222/.291/.338 and a 74 wRC+ in 2022 as the aforementioned IL stints limited him to 93 games.
Nonetheless, the Sox believed in him enough to give him a one-year extension as that season was winding down, giving him $10MM to stick around for 2023. That didn’t really work out, with Hernández hitting .222/.279/.320 for a 59 wRC+ with the Red Sox. He was flipped to the Dodgers at the deadline and had a respectable finish, slashing .262/.308/.423 for a 96 wRC+, though the combined line between the two clubs resulted in a wRC+ of 72 for the year.
If the surgery puts Hernández in position to have better results going forward, that could be a noteworthy development for the free agent market. There’s a general dearth of impact position players, particularly in the middle infield. Hernández was set to be one of the most accomplished players available in that category, alongside options like Amed Rosario, Whit Merrifield and Adam Frazier. If his two most recent seasons were dragged down by health issues, that will make his status in the months to come a development worth monitoring.
Well Kiki is always a little pain in the ass..
yikes,
Zerb- Sounds like a hemorrhoid not a hernia. Lol
Thoughts and prayers that he survives the surgery.
Mortality rate of hernia surgery is 0.1%, less than walking around L.A.
team – I had the surgery a few years ago. Until the opioids kicked in, it was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my life.
Pretty sure he survived since it was weeks ago.
That’s what they want you to believe.
Ouch.
What can Kike reasonably expect? 1Y 7M?
You gotta love America. Even a minimally “talented” baseball player can make millions.
If he only played one position in the field then those numbers with the bat would not work. But you can throw him anywhere in the Outfield Plus a couple spots on the infield so he is a good guy to have around in a pinch.
That’ll Translate to a bench role, especially with his defense in Center being pretty darn good.
Gary – Let’s not forget Kiki puts up monster numbers in the postseason.
Problem was, getting to the postseason was nearly impossible under Bloom.
He’s exceptionally talented and baseball is popular: corporations and people give MLB their money. An argument against player salaries is nothing more than an argument in favor of billionaires hoarding more (unearned) wealth
I got a hernia taking a rough dump a few years ago. That was a surprise to say the least.
I got a hernia deadlifting 500 pounds. Cannot say it was a surprise…
I looked up TMI in the dictionary and found this.
“expected to resume baseball activities in three to four weeks”
Someone might want to point out that the season is over?
Seriously? Someone who reads this forum actually believes that MLB players pack their jockstraps and hairspray after the final game of the season, go home, grab a couple of brewskis from the fridge, and then binge watch CSI for four months, until it’s time to report to training camp?
“Baseball activities”, which pretty much every player not named CC Sabathia, Rich Graces,or Bartolo Colon begins within a couple of weeks from the end of the season, means stretching, throwing, lifting, running, taking BP, and just generally staying in shape through the off-season. Players, whose surgery recoveries interfere with the ability to work out and exercise, fall behind their peers, and no player or ownership wants to experience much downtime during the off-season.
Umm, you pretty much described Many Ramirez’ offseason regimen only replace “CSI” with cartoons and “Brewskis” with Cocoa Puffs…
Rsox – Where did you get that notion from?
Sure Manny often showed up late for ST, but he worked on his hitting all winter long. Here’s just one article proving it:
bleacherreport.com/articles/9402-ramirezs-offseaso…
Ramirez, along with many Sox veterans, has put extra care into his offseason workouts. Not only has Manny transferred to a high-level training facility in Arizona, he has also stated that he would like to stay in Boston after his contract runs out at the end of this season.
That was so funny that I had to put down my glove and laugh
Will Kiki return to the Dodgers or will he join the collection of his former teammates in the Bay area as Farhan’s latest reclamation project?
He seems to fit better with the Dodgers.
Alex Cora wants to know where to send flowers and candy.