Kiké Hernández Addresses Trade From Red Sox, Upcoming Return

Kiké Hernández provided plenty of big moments in a Red Sox uniform during his tenure in Boston.

The path changed for the former utility player when defensive struggles and a crowded middle infield led to a trade back to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 25.

Since returning to the Dodgers, Hernández is hitting .274 with a .797 OPS in 23 games. The 31-year-old won a World Series with Los Angeles in 2020 and is adjusting to a familiar change of scenery.

Hernández had an impact and Boston and discussed his final days with the team in a recent appearance on a new episode of Bleacher Reports’ “On Base with Mookie Betts” series.

“Last year, I figured I’d (be) traded and it didn’t happen,” Hernández told Dodgers teammate and former Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts. “I got to go back for one more year. I guess things didn’t go my way. Playing time went down and eventually, I was the odd man out.”

Hernández will certainly be remembered for his heroics during the 2021 postseason where he hit .408 with five home runs as well as a walk-off sacrifice fly to lift the Red Sox over the Tampa Bay Rays and advance to the American League championship series.

In the episode, Hernández looked back fondly on his time in Boston for his first chance to be an everyday player and growing personally as a father. He also thanked the fans, as expressed in a note on the side of the box containing his World Baseball Classic bobblehead that the Red Sox distributed in August, even after the trade with the Dodgers.

With a positive experience in Boston, Hernández is ready to return to properly close the Red Sox chapter of his career.

“It will be a little weird, but not as weird as going back to LA,” Hernández said. “I feel like it took me three years to go back to LA and now only three weeks to go back to Boston. Getting it out of the way quickly is a good feeling. I’m looking forward to it. Everything happened so quick, so I didn’t get to say goodbye to everybody over there. It will be good to get some closure.”

Hernández joins fellow former Red Sox in Betts and Ryan Brasier in making a return to Fenway Park. Other former Red Sox J.D. Martinez and Joe Kelly are currently injured and will not play in the three-game series.