Kiké Hernández Credits ‘Supporting Cast’ For Red Sox Offense Coming Alive

It was an ugly start to the 2022 Major League Baseball season for the Red Sox, but they seemingly have turned things around thanks to the “supporting cast.”

Boston won its sixth straight game Tuesday night in a 16-3 rout of the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. The Red Sox amassed 19 hits and now are just two games below .500.

While players like J.D. Martinez, Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts have shown consistency at the plate this season, Kiké Hernández knows they can’t just rely on that trio to carry the team and that the other six batters in the lineup really have stepped up of late.

“There’s more guys to our lineup than just the three-headed monster we have in the middle,” Hernández, told reporters after the game, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “They can’t do it by themselves.

“We have a really good supporting cast and some of us — myself, (Verdugo), Trevor (Story), though Trevor is more like one of those three than the supporting cast — and (Christian Vázquez) is capable of doing damage, we’ve got Franchy (Cordero) now, we’ve got Bobby (Dalbec). It’s up to us, not those three, to make things happen and get on base for those guys. I think we’re all doing a better job and everybody’s starting to be more themselves than anything else.”

Story continued his hot streak with a home run in Tuesday’s win, but the Red Sox have gotten offense from up and down the lineup, including Cordero who has done a complete 180 since rejoining Boston this season.

The Red Sox still are 9 1/2 games back of the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East, but they are in a much better position than they were a month ago.