The Boston Red Sox traded Kiké Hernández to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, sending the slumping utilityman back to the team he played with for six seasons and helped win a World Series title.
The Red Sox received right-handers Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman in exchange for Hernandez, who struggled at the plate and in the field this season. He was batting .222 in 86 games at shortstop, second base and outfield while also leading the major leagues with 15 errors.
Chaim Bloom, Boston’s chief baseball officer, made a point of thanking Hernández for his contributions to the organization and his professionalism, even through his struggles this season.
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Boston Red Soxs Enrique Hernandez, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring on a sacrifice fly by Xander Bogaerts in the eighth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Sunday, July 25, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
“He, as you would expect, handled it great,” Bloom told reporters before the start of the Red Sox’s home game against the Atlanta Braves, which was delayed by weather.
“This was a case where we wanted to make sure that he found out the right way, so we let him under the hood a little early and that turned out to be valuable because it obviously took a lot of time for the I’s to be dotted and the T’s crossed,” Bloom said. “While he was waiting for it to be completed, he was his usual self around this place and that was really cool to see.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday before a game against Toronto that he was excited to get Hernandez back. Hernandez was expected to arrive in Los Angeles late Tuesday and Roberts is hoping to use him Wednesday.
Roberts described Hernandez as a “Swiss Army knife” due to his versatility.
“We’re excited to get him back here. I know the fans are excited,” Roberts said. “He hasn’t had the best of seasons but the bet is being back home and familiarity can help him tap back into being the player we know he can be.”
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Enrique Hernandez #5 of the Boston Red Sox hits an RBI single in the 10th inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 11, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Roberts said he expected the front office to be active leading up to the deadline, especially when trying to add another arm or two to the starting rotation or more depth on the bench. Los Angeles led the NL West entering Tuesday night’s games, with a four-game lead over Arizona and San Francisco.
Trading Hernández opens up a position on the Red Sox roster for the return of infielder Pablo Reyes from an injury, and it doesn’t commit them to either buying or selling at the trading deadline. Boston entered play Tuesday night six games above .500 and only 2 1/2 games out of the AL wild-card race, but also in last place in the AL East.
Bloom said the Red Sox were still in discussions with other teams as the Aug. 1 deadline approaches.
“You don’t want to miss a really compelling opportunity even if it puts you over the tax,” Bloom said. “There’s not a hard and fast line, but it’s obviously something that’s important.”
Hernández opened the year as Boston’s No. 1 shortstop, filling in for departed free agent Xander Bogaerts after designated heir Trevor Story was injured. But he was moved to the outfield after committing five errors in the first eight games; in the last month, he has started the game on the bench about half of the time.
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Boston Red Sox Enrique Hernandez, left, reacts as he rounds the bases and runs towards third base coach Will Venable after hitting a home run in the third inning of Inning of a spring training baseball game against the Atlanta Braves on Monday, March 29, 2021, in North Port, Fla. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
In three seasons with the Red Sox, Hernandez batted .234 with 32 homers and 136 RBIs. He hit .408 with five homers during the Boston’s run to the 2021 ALCS, the team’s only playoff appearance in his tenure.
Robertson, 25, was optioned to Triple-A Worcester. He has allowed seven runs in 10 1-3 innings in nine career appearances with the Dodgers, all in relief. Hagenman, 26, has made 25 appearances for Triple-A Oklahoma City this season, posting a 2.78 ERA.
Also Tuesday, the Red Sox reinstated righty John Schreiber from the 60-day injured list and reinstated righty Brayan Bello from the paternity list.
