Red Sox Re-Sign Marco Hernandez After Non-Tendering Infielder

Well, Marco Hernandez wasn’t a free agent for long.

In a somewhat surprising move, Hernandez on Monday was one of just two arbitration-eligible/pre-arbitration players who were not tendered a contract by the Boston Red Sox, the other being recently-claimed reliever Josh Osich. In turn, both players became free agents.

But just a day later, the Red Sox and Hernandez agreed on a split deal — which means his salary will be different based on if he’s playing in the majors or minors.

After injuries wiped out his 2018 campaign and most of 2017, Hernandez blossomed early in 2019, hitting .250 with seven doubles, a pair of homers and two RBIs by season’s end. However, most of his time was spent as a utility/platoon player. When he was more often in September with Boston out of playoff contention, Hernandez hit .169 over 19 games.

If the consistency levels out, though, Hernandez could be a useful asset for a Red Sox team that might be searching for a utility player off the bench should Brock Holt, now a free agent, sign elsewhere this offseason.