Teams are scrambling ahead of the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline, trying to add pieces to help set up a potential playoff run and, if they’re lucky, a trip to the World Series. Sitting in first place of the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers are part of that cluster.
Seeking help in the outfield, the Dodgers have long been the subject of trade rumors. On Tuesday, they finally found a deal they were comfortable making.
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers are finalizing a trade for a familiar face, in Boston Red Sox utility man Kike Hernandez, who was part of LA’s World Series win in 2020.
In exchange, the Red Sox will receive pitching prospects Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman. Neither cracked MLB.com’s top 30 prospect list for the Dodgers, and that’s likely to be the case for the Red Sox too.
Robertson is 25 and made his MLB debut with the Dodgers earlier this season. Hagenman turns 27 in October and has yet to make his MLB debut.
Hernandez has played shortstop, second base, and in the outfield for the Sox so far this season, appearing in 86 games. In that time, Hernandez has a batting line of .222/.279/.320/.599 with six home runs, 31 RBI, and an OPS+ of 61.
While he’s certainly had better seasons at the plate and in the field, Hernandez is a player the Dodgers know well from his six seasons in Los Angeles. Set to become a free agent at the end of the season, Hernandez now gets a fresh start in a place he’s already comfortable in.
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