Kiké Hernández is returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2025 season, he announced on social media on Sunday.
Read more: Kiké Hernández Posts Cryptic Video About Dodgers on Social Media
Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported the two sides are in agreement on a deal, pending a physical.
Hernández, a fan favorite in Los Angeles, has made his intentions clear all offseason long about a potential return.
“I would love to be back,” Hernández said at a Raising Cane’s fan event right after the World Series. “I truly believe that — we won the World Series a couple days ago, but I truly believe that this team is gonna be even better next year with all the pitching reinforcements.”
Then, Hernández doubled down in an appearance on The Shop.
“Main priority for me would probably be coming back,” Hernández said. “I think this team — the Dodgers are very well positioned to make another run and be the first back to back team since the New York Yankees in ’99 and 2000.”
That return is finally coming to fruition.
Hernández’s deal, which will be finalized pending a physical and likely once L.A. can move players to the 60-day injured list to clear a 40-man roster spot, will essentially complete the Dodgers’ offseason. The last move the team is expected to make is re-signing Clayton Kershaw. However, with Kershaw likely out until the second half of the season, Hernández is the last major move in an otherwise dominant offseason.
Hernández will bring value to the end of the Dodgers’ bench in his versatility and with his personality. As ESPN’s Buster Olney told Dodgers Nation last month, he’s a player L.A. needed to bring back.
“The season is so long,” Olney said in an interview with Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain. “I think that if you’re a fan and you look at the players and you tune into one game and you imagine them having the same intensity that you did when you played little league, it’s not that way.
“This is their daily job and they go through ups and downs like the rest of us do where some days you’re really into it and some days you’re not really into it. And so to have personalities that bring energy to the park like Kiké, that’s incredibly important.
“I think you absolutely have to pick the right personalities for those spots at the end of your roster.”
Hernández is also a move for October, as he has a career OPS of .874 in the postseason. He had two big home runs this past October, including the go-ahead home run in Game 5 of the NLDS against the Padres.
Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
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