Reaction to Kiké Hernández rejoining the Dodgers

Kiké Hernández is a Dodger again, back for the first time since the 2020 World Series after Tuesday’s trade with the Red Sox.

With roughly $3.7 million remaining of Hernández’s $10 million salary this season, the Red Sox sent $2.5 million to the Dodgers in the trade, per multiple reports. Alden Gonzalez at ESPN has more info on the deal.

Hernández wore number 14 during his first five years with the Dodgers, but that number was retired last season when Gil Hodges was elected to the Hall of Fame. In his return to Los Angeles, Hernández will wear number eight.

Hernández will likely mostly face lefties, which the Dodgers face in their next two games, conveniently enough. From Dave Roberts, per Fabian Ardaya’s trade summary at The Athletic, “It’s going to be very clear, his role on the ballclub ... My expectation is that he understands that, accepts it and thrives with that.”

General manager Brandon Gomes on the trade, per Jack Harris at the Los Angeles Times: “We’ve seen firsthand what he’s capable of in October. ... The instincts, the little things that he can provide on the field are something we really value and are a known quantity to us, which is helpful.”

More Roberts on Hernández, from Juan Toribio at MLB.com: “He’s a floor raiser, certainly. But if he plays the way that we expect him to play and how he has played for us, it’s a ceiling raiser.”

R.J. Anderson at CBS Sports gave the Dodgers a C grade on the Hernández trade: “Perhaps the Dodgers see something amiss in Hernández’s swing or approach that they think they can fix. Even if they don’t, their current bar is underground given they’re carrying Yonny Hernández on their bench.”

Hernández’s time with the Red Sox was summarized by Dan Secatore at Over The Monster:

It was Kiké who took the lead in recruiting free agent former teammates Kenley Jansen and Justin Turner to the Sox. It was Kiké whose tweets made the news. It was Kiké who served as the unofficial ambassador of the Red Sox during the Winter Classic at Fenway. He was everywhere, both online and in the flesh, serving as the voice and face of an organization in flux.

And finally, from Justin Turner, who rejoined Hernández in Boston this season, reacting to Tuesday’s trade: