Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers front office is relentless to the point where they can’t even give us Super Bowl Sunday off, as the team has gifted us Enrique Hernandez‘s return to the team on a one-year contract.
Walking through the open door pic.twitter.com/hsd4IOpva6
— Enrique Hernández (@kikehndez) February 9, 2025
Enrique is now 33 and has been a key utility player for the Dodgers for almost a decade now. He’s played everywhere except catcher, clocking in at fringe-average to above-average across the infield and plus in the outfield, which has made him valuable despite a .238/.308/.405/.713 line and a 92 OPS+ for his career. He’s been a bit of a lefty killer to the tune of a .255/.337/.453/.789 for his career.
In 2024, off-season surgeries seemed to promise a bounceback in LA, but he struggled for most of the year to a .229/.281/.373/.654 line, which left many wondering if he might make it through the season. However, after a trip to the optometrist, he got fitted with glasses and turned his year around. A woeful .557 OPS in the first half turned into an above-average .765 OPS in the second half. And as always, the catch with Enrique is basically you can throw the regular season out of the window once October arrives. Over 259 plate appearances in the playoffs, his line is .278/.353/.522/.874, over 200 points better than his norm, and his .294/.357/.451/.808 line last year included the game-winning homer in Game 5 of the NLDS and starting the championship-winning rally in Game 5 of the World Series.
— Enrique Hernández (@kikehndez) January 23, 2025
Perhaps just as valuable to this team is his daily presence in the clubhouse, where he keeps the energy high and things loose despite the enormous expectations that will be heaped on this team. And also he makes lots of memeable moments for me, personally, which has its own value.
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As far as the contract goes, it’s almost impossible for the Dodgers to sign a bad one-year deal, so there’s no concern there. He does cost a roster spot for a full 40-man, however, we’re approaching the date where guys can be put on the 60-day IL anyway, so finding a spot shouldn’t be much of an issue. Spring Training should determine who eventually loses their 26-man roster spot for him.
Here’s hoping he can give another speech at the end of the year.
