Why Red Sox Proceeded With Kiké Hernández Bobblehead Night

The first 7,500 fans to enter Fenway Park for the Red Sox- Royals game on Wednesday night were treated to a unique piece of memorabilia featuring former Boston infielder Kiké Hernández.

Since it was released, the Red Sox schedule promoted Aug. 9 as the “Kiké Hernández World Baseball Classic Bobblehead” giveaway. So what happens when the ball club trades the player two weeks prior to the event? They honor it.

The figurine features Hernández in his Puerto Rico World Baseball Classic jersey, not a Boston uniform and Red Sox chief marketing officer Adam Grossman told MassLive’s Chris Cotillo the bobblehead was the result of a fan vote promotion that elected Hernández and Rafael Devers to be honored in the giveaways.

“We touched base with him after he was traded to tell him we’ve got this coming up,” Grossman said. “We were inclined to give it away and continue to go through with it as long as he was comfortable with it. He was comfortable.

“For his time here, he had a close relationship with fans. I think fans felt similarly. So we felt like, for all those reasons, why not give it out to the fans?”

Hernández did have the opportunity to personalize the memento — the box featured a note from the infielder.

Thank you to the organization, to the fans, to the city – -you will always represent some of the most meaningful years of my life.

Calling Fenway home was and will always be a privilege that I never took for granted.

Grossman added the bobbleheads were already made prior to the trade with the Dodgers and didn’t want to ignore the fan contest that depicted the likeness of Hernández on the giveaway.

“It just felt like it was the right thing to do as long as he was comfortable with it,” Grossman said.

The Red Sox will hand out the Devers bobblehead on Sept. 22, when the Red Sox open their final homestand of the season against the Chicago White Sox. Devers’ figurine will be wearing the jersey of the Dominican Republic.