Kiké Hernández has turned into a super utility player of sorts for the Boston Red Sox this season.
It’s no surprise that in the most important game of the regular season, he was ready to adapt yet again for the good of his team.
After batting in the leadoff spot for a majority of the year, he’ll be moving down in the order as manager Alex Cora tries to separate his left-handed hitters against Gerrit Cole for the American League Wild Card Game against the New York Yankees.
Cora called Hernández on Monday night to let him know he’d bat second behind Kyle Schwarber. Hernández said he was happy to hit anywhere, continuing to do everything asked of him.
“That and more,” Cora said of Hernández on Tuesday before the elimination game. “As a player he has been amazing. He’s been amazing. One of my goals before the season, when we talked about him being the leadoff guy or when we signed him, I wanted people to recognize him for the player. Not the rally banana or, you know, making jokes and dancing. I wanted people to recognize him for what he brings from 7 to 10 p.m. And the quality of his at-bats from a certain point on, they’ve been amazing. The way he prepares he’s been great. He brought a lot from previous experiences.”
Among that experience is a .455 batting average against Gerrit Cole — a good reason to try and get him at the plate with runners on base and separate Schwarber and Rafael Devers in the order.
Hernández has never started batting second for the Red Sox, but has been trusted everywhere else to this point.
In their last season against the Washington Nationals, for example, Hernández changed the momentum of the game with an impressive diving play at second base — his first time in the infield in some time.
“He was a great signing by Chaim and the group,” Cora said of Hernández. “I knew he was a good player. But honestly, and I’ve know this kid since he was a baby, he’s one of the best players from Puerto Rico. We have some good players, but the way he impacts the game offensively, defensively, is amazing. We saw it, he changed that weekend with that play the other day, and he hasn’t played second. He’s been playing center field for a month, and he goes to second base and he makes probably the biggest play defensively of our team. I’m very proud of him.”
First pitch between the Red Sox and Yankees is at 8:08 p.m. ET.
