1:10pm: The Dodgers have formally announced the deal. Phillips was indeed moved to the 60-day IL to open roster space.
12:06pm: The Dodgers are bringing Kiké Hernández back for the 2026 season. The utilityman first announced the agreement on social media. It’s a one-year, $4.5MM deal for the Wasserman client, reports Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. The Dodgers will need to open a spot on the 40-man roster once the signing is final, though they can do so by placing newly re-signed reliever Evan Phillips on the 60-day injured list.
Hernández has spent the past two and a half seasons in L.A. He sandwiched a few seasons in Boston in between but has spent the majority of his career with the Dodgers. Hernández was a high-end utility player earlier in his career, playing plus defense everywhere on the diamond while hitting left-handed pitching well. His offensive production has tailed off over the past few years, but the Dodgers love him as a clubhouse presence and he remains a versatile defender.
The 34-year-old Hernández is coming off a .203/.255/.366 showing across 256 regular season plate appearances. He popped 10 home runs in 93 games but struck out at a career-high 26.6% clip. Since returning to L.A. at the 2023 trade deadline, he’s a .228/.279/.382 hitter in a little over 800 trips to the plate. His .220/.278/.393 line against left-handed pitching is well below what he did against southpaws earlier in his career.
Hernández does have a strong postseason track record, compiling an .826 OPS over 103 games in October. That didn’t really materialize last season, when he hit .250/.290/.359 with one homer in 69 plate appearances. He nevertheless clearly had the trust of skipper Dave Roberts, who penciled Hernández into the lineup for every game of their World Series run. He played mostly left field as the Dodgers lost faith in the slumping Andy Pages. That ended in triumph with the third World Series of his career, as he was also part of the 2020 and ’24 clubs.
There’s no room in the starting lineup entering the season. They signed Kyle Tucker to play right field, pushing Teoscar Hernández to left. Kiké Hernández can take some center field reps but hasn’t been a regular there since 2022. That’ll probably fall to Pages and potentially Tommy Edman, depending on how the Dodgers feel about him covering a lot of ground coming off ankle surgery. Hernández will be available off the bench and can take a few at-bats from Max Muncy at third base against left-handed pitching. He’ll offer a more defensively minded alternative to Teoscar Hernández as a late-game substitute.
Hernández and Miguel Rojas are locks for bench roles, as is a backup catcher (very likely Dalton Rushing). That’d leave one spot which will probably go to Hyeseong Kim if Edman is ready for Opening Day. Should Edman require an IL stint, Kim will draw in at second base and there’d be one spot available for Alex Call, Ryan Ward or Alex Freeland.
The Dodgers are taxed at a 110% rate as third-time payor with a CBT number above $304MM. RosterResource calculates their luxury tax payroll above $400MM. The Hernández signing will cost them $9.45MM between his salary and the accompanying $4.95MM tax bill.
Image courtesy of Michael McLoone, Imagn Images.
Like the swallows to Capistrano…
Did MLB expand the rosters to 50?
Its unlimited once you start piling people on the 60 DAY IL.
Kinda. A player has to be added to the 40-man before he can be placed on the 60-day IL, so somebody has to get bumped.
Probably move Evan Phillips to the 60 day.
Or moved to the 60 day IL
Yep. The Phillips signing created the roster bump. Presumably K. Hernandez gets his roster spot and then can be moved to the 60-day when someone else is added (would be funny if it turns to be Rortvedt). So I guess if a team has one open 40-man slot they can sort of pass players through it in an unlimited way so long as they are all eligible for the 60-day IL.
They ruined the market!!!!!!
How is it the Dodgers and not the Mets and Yankees who were spending more first?
Oh, yeah, because the Dodgers won in the post-season and the ohers either lost in the postseason or did not make it at all.
Those knee-jerk commenters should read this Jeff Passan article, assuming they have the reading skills. espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/47620464/mlb-2026-kyle-tuc…
I think a lockout is likely. I also think they will find a way to kick the can into next week.
Of course they did.
Dodgers are unc squad
University of North Carolina?
Commissioner should have had the stones to put a halt to deferred money for the good of the game. Enjoy your strike, it’s your own fault.
Cause signing an injured utility man to a small contract is bad?
It’ll be a lockout. And owners who cry poverty are at fault….
As every baseball fan should know by now from years of watching this kabuki show, the owners lock out the players to take away their strike leverage. Rooting for one is about as smart as rooting for a disease (which, I realize, some now do).
Munchausen by proxy (LAD, Manfred, or NYC teams) ?
Where anger is substituted for sympathy as the desired emotion to go with wanted attention.
Or maybe that’s just populism.
Jerry – Yeah, it’s all the owners fault. Not the multi-multi millionaire, spoiled players.
Well, people aren’t watching the game to see the owners….
I don’t know about you, but I’d love to see them trot out onto the field in their Gucci loafers and Armani suits and take phone calls from their investment bankers.
Yea, it’s the millionaire players that are out there every night for 160 games, and not the billionaire owners that profit off the talent of others, who is at fault.
You complain about players taking money, where is your outrage for the money being offered in the first place?
The cheap owners in baseball that every fan says they hate want a cap, but I seriously doubt that they’ll strike if they don’t get one.
The commissioner can’t change the CBA because he feels like it. That’s why it’s a *collective bargaining agreement*
It’s impossible to get through the concrete brains that the deferral option is in the CBA because both the players and the owners like it.
More dong thrust in the clubhouse!
With this signing, the Dodgers have secured their 3 peat.
Where would he play? They already have 12 position players without him. I suppose they could go with 12 pitchers not including Ohtani as long as the starters hold up.
So Ohtani allows them to carry all of Miguel Rojas, Kiké and Jack Dreyer I suppose
He’s going to play on the Injured List for a while.
If everyone is ever healthy they’re in big trouble
Kiké is a pitcher… sometimes.
He’ll play recovering from injury for a few months.
Then later he’ll play playoff Kike. His best position.
C: Smith, Rushing
IF: Freeman, Edman, Muncy, Betts
OF: Teo, Pages, Tucker
UC: Ohtani
BN: Rojas, Hernandez, Call
Is UC unicorn?
Ohtani has opened his own campus within the University of California system – UC Ohtani.
UC Weyland-Yutani
UC Ohtani only accepts students with double majors that also somehow make it look easy.
The Weyland-Yutani Corporation is ruining baseball (and human survival).
What a xenomorphobic comment.
For which I’ve paid the price. I’ve been cancelled by the xenomorph community.
Bart… money well spent.
Xenomorph is that like a Disney ride with creepy paper mache figurines that talk and move around in staggered fashion like Shakeys but theyre Steven Miller and Bannon instead of mice
Thia rocks! Tessa not so much
Kim factors in, especially with Edman recovering.
Yep.
The most Anticlimactic of Anticlimactic signings ever
Only if one is from Boston, rspx.
Problems in the sack eh Ned?
Kike, along with Phillips, will likely go to the 60 day IL, which should give them an opening for Rortvedt should he clear waivers.
gnom
If Rortvedt clears waivers he’s not on the 40
How much deferred??????
All
How big is the signing bonus?
ask dylan cease
Can’t they just put Phillips on the 60-day IL to make room for this signing?
That’s possibly what will happen. And then Kiké will also be moved to the 60-man as well.
I’ve said for years he is the best player on that team. If the game is close I would rather face any of the all-stars than him. It’s funny that their best player is one of their cheapest.
I didn’t know Kiki Hernandez’s agent posts here.
I dislike him very much. I have seen many games against him and the amount I dislike him should tell you how much I don’t like seeing him play.
Yikes. One of the worst takes I’ve seen on here in awhile. You don’t really mean this, right? Trolling I assume?
I disagree with Kim as the last hitter if everyone is healthy. Call gets the nod over him. I acknowledge that it makes the bench righty heavy but who are we pinch hitting for anyway?
Agreed, and also because Kim can be optioned and Call cannot (I believe).
Actually Call has 2 options left.
Wow, okay!
Dutch, nope it will be Kim.
I think it’s most likely both as someone will be on the DL
Crazy this guy gets 4.5 mil after sucking for 4 seasons
WAR is overrated
He’s been a bad hitter and not great defender at any position for many years. If he didnt bring “vibes” he’d be out of the league and even so if they want to bring him back not sure why they’d pay so much
Fraham… so wrong but keep on being you.
“playing plus defense everywhere on the diamond”
Clearly the author missed the year Alex Cora decided Kiki was the RS starting shortstop when Trevor Story went down. Could’t field, couldn’t throw when he did get to a grounder. Always off balance. Trying too hard was the excuse.
Awful, just awful.
the dodgers series win is a direct result of their spending power .. toronto had them on the ropes .. but because they were able to sign multiple top level starters .. they basically sidestepped their failing pen entirely and relay on starters .. no other team has that luxury
Anytime a ws goes 7 both teams are on the ropes. Every team is owned by a billionaire. Every team can do what the dodgers do. Most don’t cause they are greedy. I get people don’t like dynasty’s but that’s exactly what the dodgers are. Best ownership group, led by the best front office, who because of ownership spends huge amounts of money to win. Not just on players but trainers, staff, scouts etc. Golden era of dodger baseball and I’m loving it.
Another example of dodgers illegal roster manipulation. They waited months to make this deal official so they could keep an extra 40 man roster spot, until the 60 day IL opened up.
Did it with Kershaw the last two years too.
With no punishment, they’ll keep doing it.
Um, what?
@JSC Cubbs
It’s entertaining how some people like to display their complete departure from reality.
JSC… I must echo Blue – WHAT?
At this point, Kike will either play for the Dodgers or retire.
Ruining it back!
Did I do that right?
Running it back with some minor reinforcements – Tucker and Diaz!
It was in jest, hence the Ruining part lol. Little combo meal.
This make sense for yesterday move.
Next move put Kike in the 60 day IL.
i was expecting the dodgers to sign him to a minor league contract and have it convert to major league once his surgery recovery is over
Most unlikable player in the league. Arrogant without the stats to back it.
spooky
Yet, I like him
He’s one of the best 1000 baseball players in the world.
Who cares if he’s arrogant?
spooky…. Actually, you not liking Kike does not make him unliked.
Wonder how much of the contract is deferred. Lol. Seriously though Hernandez keeps prolonging his career because of his post season semi-success. He hasn’t been very good during the regular season for a few years now. Not much on offense or defense IMHO. Wonder if the 4.5 mil puts the Dodgers into another tax bracket. I’m a Giants fan but don’t dislike many of the Dodgers players. Lots of respect for Mookie, Freddy, Edman and others. Also respect Roberts. Not so much with Kike though.
Why?
Charles ‘Victory’ Faust
This Red Sox fan is happy for Kike. I’m glad he gets to play another year, and for his home team.
Well this is a surprise…..
Thought he had already resigned with LAD, lol.