BOSTON -- The Red Sox cleared the logjam in their middle infield by trading Kik¨¦ Hern¨¢ndez back to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Minor League righties Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman and $2.5 million cash considerations. The trade was announced by both clubs Tuesday evening.
In a strong first season with Boston in 2021, Hern¨¢ndez put together an historic six-game run in the postseason that helped vault his team to Game 6 of the American League Championship Series before getting eliminated by the Astros. The right-handed hitting Hern¨¢ndez couldn¡¯t get into a groove the last two seasons.?
With middle infielder Pablo Reyes reinstated from the injured list on Monday and righty Brayan Bello back from his paternity leave on Tuesday, the Sox needed a roster spot vacated by the start of Tuesday¡¯s game against the Braves. They found it by moving Hern¨¢ndez back to Los Angeles, the team he played for as a utility player/fan favorite from 2015-20.
¡°I want to start by thanking Kik¨¦ Hern¨¢ndez,¡± said Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. ¡°This guy in two and a half years became really important to us around here and a guy who embraces everything that the Boston baseball experience has to offer.?
¡°Obviously what he did in ¡®21 over a period of a number of weeks was one of the more remarkable things that I've seen a single player do for an extended period of time on a baseball field. And who he is, the energy he brings, we¡¯ll miss him and we appreciate everything he contributed.¡±
When Xander Bogaerts departed as a free agent last December and Trevor Story, who the club anticipates will return to the roster within the next few weeks, underwent right elbow surgery in January, Hern¨¢ndez got the chance to be Boston¡¯s starting shortstop.
It didn¡¯t go well. Hern¨¢ndez made 15 errors. Of the 14 errors he made at short, all but two were throwing.
The 31-year-old didn¡¯t make up for it offensively, slashing .222/.279/.320 with six homers and 31 RBIs in 297 at-bats.
Per Fangraphs, Hern¨¢ndez has the lowest WAR of any position player in MLB so far this season at -1.4.
It was a precipitous drop for a player who belted 20 homers and had a sturdy .786 OPS for the 92-win Red Sox of ¡®21. Hern¨¢ndez also became a stud defender in center field, settling into an almost full-time role that season.
¡°Obviously, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯d say the same thing, this hasn't been the season that he envisioned for himself or certainly that we envisioned for him,¡± said Bloom. ¡°I feel pretty confident that he's a better player than this, that Kik¨¦ is not done being a good, big league player in his early 30s. It's just how the season has unfolded. It's not something any of us envisioned.¡±
Injuries marred Hern¨¢ndez¡¯s 2022 season and limited his production. He hit .222 with six homers and 45 RBIs in 93 games.
Hern¨¢ndez came to Spring Training confident he would turn things around, citing his improved health. But it was not to be.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced on June 13 Hern¨¢ndez would no longer be the team¡¯s primary shortstop. His playing time continued to decrease as the weeks wore on.
As for that six-game postseason stretch that started in Game 2 of the ¡®21 AL Division Series and ended in Game 3 of the ALCS, Hern¨¢ndez went 17-for-29 with five homers, nine RBIs and a 1.822 OPS.
¡°Whether we were riding high and he just walked off the Rays to send us to the ALCS, or in tougher times, when we needed to buckle down and come together as a group, he really did a lot of great things to help us,¡± Bloom said.
While Hern¨¢ndez didn¡¯t realize his goal of winning a World Series in Boston, he was part of the championship team with the Dodgers in 2020. He will now try to win another one in a community where he maintained a home, even after he went to the Red Sox.
Robertson, 23, made his Major League debut earlier this season. He pitched nine games for the Dodgers from June 7-July 18. The righty logged 10 1/3 innings, giving up 17 hits and seven earned runs. He had a stellar season for Triple-A Oklahoma City this year, notching a 2.54 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP.
The Dodgers selected Robertson in the seventh round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of James Madison.
Hagenman leads with a low 90s sinker and low 80s slider. The 26-year-old made 25 appearances (five starts) for Oklahoma City this season, posting a 2.78 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. L.A. selected Hagenman in the 23rd round of the ¡®18 Draft.
¡°We were able to get some pitchers that we like, that we think have a chance to help us,¡± said Bloom.
Both pitchers will report to Triple-A Worcester. Meanwhile, Hern¨¢ndez is headed back to a familiar place, hoping to regain his form.