Kiké Hernández parlayed a strong second half and another productive October into a new contract, agreeing to return to the Dodgers, per multiple reports.
Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic reported Hernández and the Dodgers have an agreement, pending a physical, as did Alden González at ESPN. But those reporte wasn’t before Hernández himself tweeted “Walking through the open door” with a video of Dodgers postseason highlights.
Walking through the open door pic.twitter.com/hsd4IOpva6
— Enrique Hernández (@kikehndez) February 9, 2025
On his Instagram, Hernández added the hashtag #26thMan.
“The door will never be closed on Kíké,” Dodgers president Andrew Friedman said on February 1. “Whatever the best decision is for Kiké and his wife, his family, they’ll figure it out. I’m biased, and hopefully it’s with us, but they’ve put themselves in a position to make a decision.
The Dodgers’ 40-man roster is currently full, and any additions require a corresponding move to create space. Conveniently enough, the Dodgers open spring training camp Monday with pitchers and catchers reporting to Camelback Ranch, which is also when the team can start utilizing the 60-day injured list as needed.
Hernández made $4 million in 2024 in his one-year deal signed with the Dodgers in late February after spring training camp already opened.
This is the fourth different transaction that brought Hernández to the Dodgers — first came the three-team trade at the 2014 winter meetings that, among other things, sent Dee Gordon to the Marlins, Andrew Heaney to the Angels, with Hernández, Austin Barnes, and Howie Kendrick to the Dodgers. Then came Hernández’s return from the Red Sox at the 2023 trade deadline before the last two free agent contracts.
The bulk of Hernández’s time in the field came at third base in 2024, starting 60 games at the hot corner, mostly filling in when Max Muncy missed half the season on the injured list with a strained oblique. But Hernández made his way around the field as per usual, also starting at least six games at shortstop, second base, first base, left field, and center field.
He was voted mostly by managers and coaches among the top three for a National League Gold Glove as a utility player, an award that went to Pirates infielder Jared Triolo.
While Hernández’s seasonal numbers in 2024 didn’t stand out, hitting .229/.281/.373 with an 83 wRC+, it really was a tale of two seasons. An eye exam in July led to him wearing glasses while playing for the first time. After the All-Star break, Hernández saw his statline shoot upward, hitting .274/.307/.458 with a 112 wRC+ over the final two and a half months.
Hernández played his way into a regular role in October, and started the Dodgers’ final 13 postseason games, hitting .294/.357/.451 with a 129 wRC+, including a home run in the clinching Game 5 of the National League Division Series.
“The way I see it is these types of games are the ones we’ve been dreaming of since we were little kids,” Hernández said after eliminating the Padres.
A career .278/.353/.522 hitter with a 134 wRC+ and 15 home runs in 86 postseason games, Hernández has hit 10 of those homers for the Dodgers, tied for fifth on the all-time franchise postseason leaderboard.
In his 11 major league seasons, eight of which have been played with the Dodgers, Hernández is a .238/.308/.405 hitter with 192 doubles, 120 home runs, and a 93 wRC+. He’s started games in center field, second base, shortstop, third base, left field, right field, and first base throughout his career.