The Dodgers have officially welcomed Enrique Hernandez back on a one-year, $6.5MM free agent deal. Los Angeles placed Gavin Stone on the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot. Stone underwent shoulder surgery last year and will miss the entire season, so that’s a procedural move. Hernandez is represented by Wasserman.
Hernandez, 33, returns to Los Angeles for a ninth season in Dodger blue. The veteran utility man got his start as a sixth-round pick by the Astros back in 2009 and debuted with the club in 2014, but was traded to the Marlins midseason before being flipped to L.A. prior to the 2015 season. Hernandez quickly became an instrumental part of the Dodgers’ roster. His versatility has allowed him to appear at every position on the diamond except for catcher in a Dodgers uniform, and his first six-season stint with the club saw him hit a respectable .240/.312/.425 (98 wRC+) from 2015 to 2020. That includes an excellent 122 wRC+ against southpaws, and Hernandez was a regular fixture in the club’s lineup against left-handed pitching throughout his first stint in California.
Hernandez’s first foray into free agency following the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series championship led him to sign with the Red Sox on a two-year, $14MM deal before he was extended for an additional year and $10MM. Hernandez actually had the best season of his career in Boston during the 2021 campaign, when he slashed .250/.337/.449 (109 wRC+) while splitting time between center field and second base for the Red Sox en route to a campaign worth 3.7 fWAR and 5.0 bWAR. Hernandez struggled badly for the club after that first brilliant year, however, and hit just .222/.286/.330 (68 wRC+) over his final year and a half in a Red Sox uniform.
That led to a trade back to the Dodgers, with whom he’s started to look once again like a more viable bench bat. His overall slash line of .240/.289/.389 (87 wRC+) since rejoining the Dodgers at the 2023 trade deadline is still below average, and since returning to Los Angeles he’s actually played as a more or less split-neutral hitter after for years hitting much better against southpaws. With that being said, he remains as versatile as ever in the field. He’s also had a history of being a quality postseason contributor, with a .278/.353/.522 career slash line in the playoffs. Those postseason heroics haven’t disappeared even as the rest of his game has taken a step backwards in recent years, and Hernandez slashed .294/.357/.451 in 14 postseason games for the Dodgers during their World Series championship run last year.
Hernandez’s combination of versatility, postseason track record, and status as a fan favorite and beloved clubhouse presence were enough to convince the Dodgers to bring him back into the fold for a ninth season in spite of an already very crowded mix of position players. As things stand, Hernandez appears to fit best as a right-handed complement to lefty-swinging infielders Hyeseong Kim and Max Muncy, though that same role also applies to veteran infielder Miguel Rojas, who is generally regarded as a superior defender to Hernandez on the dirt. Perhaps Hernandez could back up Tommy Edman in center field and serve as a right-handed complement to Michael Conforto in the outfield, though fellow utility veteran Chris Taylor and outfield youngster Andy Pages both figure to compete for a similar role this spring as well. However Hernandez ultimately ends up fitting into the club’s day-to-day plans, his return could leave Pages and James Outman on the outside looking for the Dodgers’ roster, set to at least start the 2025 season in Triple-A barring a surprise decision to part ways with Taylor, Rojas, or another more established player.
Hernandez first announced the deal on social media. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that it was a one-year contract, while Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic was first on the $6.5MM salary. Image courtesy of Imagn.
Was he really heading elsewhere?? Very doubtful. Good for him.
Roster almost decided now
Maybe Boston only to be traded back to LA
Nobody knows who the hell Enrique Hernandez is, it’s Kike baby, Kike! And don’t ever forget it. Ahahahahahaha!
his signature is being deferred
Nah not shocking, though, I’d love to know if he had other offers.
Our off-season is almost complete, we just need Kershaw.
#Deferred
Does this mean the end of a Taylor?
Hopefully.
We just have so many options and Taylor needs to go somewhere where he can contribute meaningfully….
Like Tijuana?
Dodgers not letting Taylor go til he hits his 10 years of service time later in the season….
What’s your theory?
Just reading blogs about how this FO keeps players nearing 10 years of service before letting em go. Last guy was Nick Ahmed….
Oh, I thought you were saying they’d wait until he already acquired his 10 and 5 rights before moving him.
BlueSkies
This idea was discussed in depth on a recent podcast, as summarized here in a tweet about it:
x.com/dodger_daily/status/1885730671273906586
Hopefully!
They don’t really need to dump Taylor. And he’ll be difficult to move. There probably is a way to keep everyone. Injuries happen and even if you have to temporarily option Pages he should get plenty of time with the Dodgers. The bench versatility depth also helps. No matter which position player gets hurt (except for catcher of course), they can bring up Pages if he’s at AAA.
This comments section is deep in Dodgers Derangement Syndrome lol.
There are 6 comments so far, which seems pretty shallow.
*about to be, there you go, fixed it for you, sweetie.
You love yourself. We’ve established that already. Insecurity…
Deus, I am not you’re sweetie.
He will sign when players can go on the 60 day DL to open a roster spot.
only pitchers are going on the 60-day. that has no bearing on Kiké getting on the active roster.
He = Kershaw
kike is meh in the reg season
but he’s reggie jackson in the playoffs
As long as he stays bench, he’ll be better utilized
How are they going to carry Rojas, Taylor, and Kike? There is some redundancy here? That said, good to see him return.
seems like Pages gets a ticket to AAA
I see Taylor getting the Brazier treatment
Hope you are right, but I think CT knows where some bodies are buried.
unfortunately, CT3s salary is a deal breaker on any trade. Unless Dodgers throw him a real prospect (s), no team will touch Taylor until he’s released.
For a team with unfathomable resources, cutting ties with CT should not be a problem if he does not deserve a roster spot based on performance.
on the surface Pschguy, you make sense. This also seems like a plausible explanation of why they won’t release him. x.com/dodger_daily/status/1885730671273906586
That’s so speculative. IMO LA as a destination spot is more predicated on the $$ and opportunity to win in good climate.
hey, I don’t disagree with you. If it were me, I’d release him and eat the money. Kiki seems more valuable than CT3. we’ll see soon enough.
Did you look at Taylor’s 2nd half numbers? Impressive that he got over the Uecker line considering how long he struggled. With Taylor’s contract the Dodgers would have to eat a good chunk of it to move him. And all that would do is make a spot for a guy that is not as good or as versatile defensively. Pages is cheaper, so they’d get some luxury tax savings. We’ll see, a lot still to shake out in the spring.
By opening day someone will be injured. Bank on it. If not, Pages starts in AAA. Or Taylor gets released or traded.
I keep expecting a trade with the Cardinals.
Dodgers get Arenado + $5 mil for 3 years from the Cardinals.
Cardinals get/take Taylor plus a prospect in the number 10 – 20 range.
Muncy moves to 2nd base and competes with Hyeseong Kim.
The Dodgers do not need a declining Arenado. Muncy at 3B, Kim at 2B. There’s no reason to make a trade that wouldn’t improve the ballclub.
Muncy can’t play 2B in the non-shift era. There’s a reason he hasn’t played even one game there since 2022, the last season the shift was allowed. I think the Dodgers are happy to have him at 3B at a reasonable salary–so no Arenado.
Muncy is one of my favorite players in my 58 years as a Dodger fan. He is a solid ballplayer who was never concerned about breaking the bank in free agency. He appreciates what he has and does everything to help the team win.
Arenado is about 3 years late. Muncy too slow for 2B now. Dont think they signed Kim as a tryout. I believe it’s his job to lose. He’s a better defender than Lux, has speed, and is an on=base kind of hitter that the Dodgers need at the bottom of the lineup to set the table.
Something went terribly wrong if Kim losses the job to Lux.
My point was that if the Dodgers gave Lux every opportunity to take 2B for his own I would expect the same treatment for Kim and not some lefty/lefty platoon with Muncy.
I think Lux will outhit Kim by a mile this year. Hope I’m wrong. Kim brings you a better glove and speed but is that worth more than a weaker bat? We’ll see.
@Psychguy The redundancy is versatility and that is a good thing.
5 mil deferred till 2040
Octobers best! WELCOME BACK KIKE!
More sus celebrations!! Let’s gooooooo!!
If they had to dump Brasier before, who will they dump now
YES. FINALLY. LOVE KIKE
Done and DONE!
I figured the Dodgers were waiting until ST to begin for when they would sign Hernandez. They can utilize the 60 day IL to get him on the roster. He’s probably known for weeks that this would happen this way. It’ll be interesting to see if Chris Taylor makes the Opening Day roster. His bat has disappeared. Hernandez can still deliver a big hit occasionally. Taylor has nothing at the plate anymore…
Dodgers active roster is full up with pitchers and Dodgers have only pitchers headed to the 60-day IL at the moment. That in no way helps Kiké get on the active roster. The 40-man yes, but not the active roster. There will have to be a move later.
At this time, they only need to put him on the 40. Injuries tend to take care of these things. They have time before getting down to 26.
that’s true stymee
Of course. The Dodgers own MLB now. They Vought the whole league yesterday.
Zzzzzzzz!
More like Veeeeeeee!
20 mil a year over 5 years with 94 mil deferred
Dodgers are insanely overrated. Two of their “best” players, Ohtani and Teo, strikeout like it’s their job so will kill a lot of rallies. Ohtani will also have a down year compared to 2024 so other hitters will need to step up for them to even make the playoffs.
Yuki as always you are never right. All of your lame predictions last fall were wrong. Do you even watch any baseball games? You have no clue what you are talking about. Ever.
Opinions are always welcome.
Informed opinions are welcome.
“Insanely” overrated? I wouldn’t even agree with “overrated” but “insanely”? They literally won it all last year. You have a ridiculous take.
I think he’ll be on the IL again from pitching and the talk of him giving that up will begin. Him pitching will definitely affect his SB’s.
The fact that last year was most likely his career year in SBs will affect his 2025 total.
The jealousy is REAL! Ha-ha!
Yup, the defending world champion Dodgers that just added Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, Kirby Yates, and Tanner Scott are insanely overrated.
Shame on them for making winning a priority.
Princess
So Ohtani will have a “down year” compared to the career-best year he had at the plate, during which time he’ll also be pitching every sixth(-ish) day?
Yeah, the Dodgers are sCrEwEd….
@PrincessYuki
Sure, Ohtani struck out 189, 161, 143, 162 times from 2021-2024, about .295, .240, .239, and .222 respectively, vs BA of .257, .273, .304, .310 so Ohtani’s strikeout/plate appearance rate has dropped over last 4 years plus his first year with Dodgers is lowest in his career. At the same time his batting average ROSE considerably, he’s been MVP 3 times, 2nd once, hitting OPS of .965, .875, 1.066, and 1.036, last two seasons LEADING THE LEAGUE in OPS, same with slugging percentage. Even if Ohtani drops back to his last 4 year average of 45HR, 105RBI’s, 160 hits, he would still be top 5 if not top 3 in the NL or MLB. And 2024 Ohtani was within a hair of winning the triple crown.
Now that Ohtani has had a full year with the Dodgers and knows where they will bat him, he’s even more comfortable at the plate, and against NL pitching, same applies to Teoscar, still good enough to be very good.
The gang is all here.
Wonder if the Dodgers would trade taylor, full contract,outman and river ryan for helsley?
too late. Dodgers already have Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates.
Helsley is an upgrade no matter who you have in that bullpen
Then the Cards will have no trouble moving him. But not to LAD.
stan lee
In a vacuum, perhaps, but at this point, Helsley would be a luxury the Dodgers have no need purchasing. So why over-package to get a guy who’d get lost in that mix, rather than waiting to fill an actual need when said need presents itself?
In Scott, Treinen, Kopech, Phillips and Yates, LA has FIVE legitimate closers on their roster (along with high-leverage man Vesia and High-Leverage=Man-in-Waiting Enrique Hernandez, idling at the fringe).
There’s just no more room at the inn….
They don’t want to move him, it’s pretty obvious they feel there will be more value at the trade deadline. That’s pretty normal for high-end relievers.
Pretty much all of the signings the Dodgers have made this year have been luxuries the Dodgers have not needed. After watching this ridiculous offseason for them, it’s a very poor argument to say that they wouldn’t upgrade here because they don’t need it.
I think Helsley stays put, but that would be because the Cardinals aren’t actually selling right now without a completely overwhelming offer
“all of the signings the Dodgers have made this year have been luxuries the Dodgers have not needed”
from where you sit I’m sure you think that’s true. I don’t agree. As for Helsley, he’s at the top of his game but LAD do not need him. When a team has Scott and Yates the upgrade is marginal. If they go for anything in July, Dodgers will go after another hitter before they pay a premium for Helsley (barring injuries to current staff of course).
If they package Taylor with some of their better prospects to move him out it’s for prospects, not another add to the 40-man.
@BlueSkies-LA
Like they did with the Busch and Lux trades I mentioned elsewhere. There’s fantastic value in scouting other teams’ farm systems.
$500,000 contract, deferred till 2048
162-0!
Who’s next? You’re next!!!!!!!!!
In corresponding move mlb announces deferrals and only the the deferrals will be allowed a 30 man roster and his season
One year deal, pays $0.50 this year and $1 trillion in 3025
All the deferral jokes are soooooooo funny.
I never see them; all muted, I assume.
The humor is indefinitely deferred.
People can joke all they want about deferred money….All I know is we are celebrating a World Series Championship now!
Kike too much of a scaredy cat to put in a hard day’s work for a lesser team.
Keekay shows up in October. If that’s being a scaredy cat, then give me more scaredy cats.
Not fair! Dodgers get everyone.
– Said all the fans of loser teams that will never win a championship. Haha!
alex cora is crying in a corner somewhere…
F the Dodgers!!!!!!!!!
Waaaaaaa!
This is something the Padres lack: great team chemistry. Kikè definitely isn’t a game changer (well, he kind of tears up the playoffs), but it brings the clubhouse that much together. There’s a reason why Soto, Tatis Jr. Machado, and Bogarts only went 82-80 – those guys (not sure about Bogarts), are “me first.” I love this signing.
@Kewldude69,
As of two weeks ago, the Dodgers had 22 “homegrown” players on their 40-man roster. The Padres had just nine (tied with the Phillies for second fewest behind the MLB-leading Rays with eight). In my opinion, that level of continuity benefits the Dodgers.
I understand that the Padres have had an excellent farm system in recent years and that the low number is due to many prospects being included in trades. However, it would benefit them if they didn’t change the deck chairs so often. For instance, I feel they will miss Kim more than many think. Stability breeds chemistry throughout a long season.
Oh no more facts to confuse the benighted.
@El Kab AJ Preller is a lunatic. He literally is the type of GM that trades away Trea Turner, and then offers him a 200 million dollar contract when he’s a free agent
In some of Preller’s trades, I thought he surrendered one more prospect than necessary (if not two). They’ve had a ton of talent; it’s just too much of a revolving door.
I hope Preller doesn’t outsmart himself by trading Cease, a stud starter who can help them win now.
CT(K) going to get moved at some point!
CT3 has been a solid Dodger contributor and a huge contributor off the field. He deserves more respect than you give him. Is it really necessary for you to insult him regularly?
I’m sure there will be some complaints from Dodger fans during the season for the lack of production but we all know he was re-signed for postseason.
It’s the like the Padres’ signing of Connor Joe this weekend. He’s a bench piece and injury fill-in who is consistently average enough to rely on and one who won’t tank a team with their performance. For non-competitive teams, Joe and Hernandez signings wouldn’t make sense for them and they should play a young guy with more upside potential.
Kike is a versatile bench piece for the regular season but a much more important player come postseason. He’s a career 0.874 OPS over 20 postseason series and 259 plate appearances. Versus only a 0.713 career OPS in regular season, including only 0.654 as a Dodger last year. Plenty of Dodger fans grumbled last year as to why Kike was on the team and on postseason roster. Kike shut their mouths pretty quickly in the postseason. For whatever reason the guy delivers in postseason.
Waaaa, Dodgers are ruining baseball! Big Blue Wrecking Crew! Love it!
No surprise there, and now the Dodgers have their playoff weapon back for the very high chance to make a repeat.
I’d bet this was agreed to a while back. Just had to stay hush until the 60 day IL moves were imminent.
It’s crazy, how the Dodgers keep adding age 30 and older players to their rosters and have yet to pay any sort of real price for it.
They just bought themselves what should be 6 years of Tommy Edman’s baseball dotage; a respectably talented player with nothing like a star’s pedigree who has every chance of being out of baseball like most players with his skill set in his early 30s, but his aging curve will magically improve with the Dodgers.
So… what are they feeding these guys? some super-macrobiotic diet? Are there supersecret ballet-yoga meetings three hours before game time? TM?
Are old players versus their projections the new undervalued assets in baseball? That doesn’t seem to be the case on other teams, so how are the Dodgers pulling this off?
With the addition of Edman, with Will Smith and Ohtani turning 30, and with the age of the Dodgers’ pitching staff they’re going to field a 30 and older lineup including their starter a lot more than once this season. I don’t think there’s one other team in MLB that’s going to do that even once in all of 2025.
What’s the secret?
The secret is they are right in line with the average age of The Mets (older), Astros, Yanks, Orioles, Jays, Cubs, Rangers, Padres, Cards, and Royals. All of those teams average 28 to 29 years. Amazing what facts can do for ya.
espn.com/mlb/stats/rosters/_/sort/average_age/orde…
Their secret is having PROVEN veterans who are professionals, proven performers under pressure and bright lights, selfless, pass the baton, next guy up, keep the line moving, relatively ego less players, most of whom have been there in the playoffs, and battle tested. Raw talent young players are exciting, but many will fade in the postseason, or the opposing team is too young to handle the pressure of postseason ball. Team chemistry is also a real thing and motivator of success.
It’s not a guarantee of postseason success, but the Dodgers will keep player who are consistent performers till they aren’t anymore.
I’m not a huge fan of this, because I prefer a at least a trickle of prospects every season. I suppose you could say that Lux and Outman had their chances but I don’t like blocking out Pages. And regular season Kike’ is nothing to write home about.
His regular-season value is his ability to fill in at several positions, which helps to keep everyone fresh. He also understands the team’s clubhouse culture. Everyone doesn’t have to be a star.
Pages just isnt a good defender yet. Too many times last season he didnt make plays that a decent CF really should. He’s younger and has some time to improve, but he looks like a barely average corner that got pushed into CF. Kike AND Taylor play anywhere you put them at a high level. Seems like Pages best shot is to get regular AB’s and hone his D at AAA until injuries need to be covered.
Pages and Vargas nearly killed each other twice in LF and CF.
Worst bobblehead ever: Rookies Outman and Vargas together.
I’ve got one of those. Two actually. Real collectors items.
Do you have the Puigy Bank?
No but I’ll swap you a Vargas and Outman for one.
I live in the Philly area. The only bobbleheads I have are two from the belated Dick Allen Day. It’s nice; it’s more of a figurine.
Too early to rule out Pages. Who knows if there will be an injury during spring training.
Kike has earned his spot for postseason. Fans will grumble about regular season but until he doesn’t perform in postseason I don’t see why fans don’t want Kike. Regular season is irrelevant. We all know that the Dodgers will be in postseason.
Just 37 days until Dodgers-Cubs in Japan.
Last piece of the puzzle. Now Dodgers need to not peak to early n ride this team into repeat champs. Go Dodgers !
Dodgers fan
Not shocking at all…the guy only wanted to play in LA, and frankly if he can maneuver himself into doing that, who wouldn’t;…..
The only guy? Players who chose or to stay with Dodgers (extension) recently – Ohtani, Yamamoto, Sasaki, Teoscar, Edman, Smith, Glasnow, Freeman, Betts, Treinen, Phillips, Scott.
Hey everyone the punk is back. Missed ya Mickey.
The league should ban him from ever bumping his groin with another teammate. End ‘a story!!
KikE is a clown. I don’t like the vibes that fruit-loop gives me. Can’t stand the chartreuse shoes. Only other Dodger that irked me like this was Alex Verdugo. Maybe they sign him too??
I never liked Verdugo and got clown vibes from him. It was also disrespectful to let him wear Kemp’s number.
amazing they didn’t check with you before signing him
$6.5m for a 26th man. Anyone wondering why he went back to the Dodgers? And know, it’s not because blue is his favorite color.
Why are the Dodgers giving a 33 yr old 6.5 = 13mil with the tax hit? Kike has always been a below average hitter who’s mediocre fielder/runner at this point. Fan favorite? Yeah yeah we all know he hit 2 HRs last post season, but it’s just a dumb signing.
Yeah he’s a fan favorite but for whatever reason he performs in postseason with 15 career HRs, 0.874 OPS (compared to only 0.713 in regular season). This all in 259 career postseason plate appearances. I agree that the $6.5mm is rich and I’m surprised they paid him that much but if he keeps performing in postseason he’ll get a look.
Yeah, that team clearly has no idea what they are doing.
Yeah they won, but man you gotta admit that rotation was piecemeal! They were basically a last second Flahtery deal from missing that ring.
looked to me like he must’ve been the inspiration for the team that took them past SD. roberts doesn’t; have the ability to inspire at all unless you think guys like ass slaps. at the parade he was the overwhelming favorite of the players. he means a lot more than his stats and his versatility in the field is huge.
KikE must have a video of himself with Friedman and friends.
It would take up less space to make a list of who the Dodgers have NOT signed.
Evan Phillips likely opening season on IL.
And dirtbags keep on dirt bagging?, right Mick