Dodgers Almost Shockingly Cut Fan Favorite Postseason Hero Last Year Before Playoffs

Gabe Smallson | Mar 26, 2025

Oct 14, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third base Max Muncy (13) reacts after hitting a home run with third base Enrique Hernández (8) against the New York Mets in the fifth inning during game two of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

Kike Hernandez, the beloved utility man of the Los Angeles Dodgers, revealed how he almost was designated for assignment last season before his postseason heroics.

A major shift in the middle of the season proved to change the trajectory of Hernandez's season, and subsequently his baseball life.

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The 33-year-old was headed down a dreaded path to start the 2024 campaign with a .191 batting average and already 45 strikeouts at the All-Star Break.

Martin Maldonado, a World Baseball Classic teammate for their home country of Puerto Rico, mentioned over the summer that he and a few teammates now required glasses. It addressed some vision issues that weren't picked up during the annual spring training physicals.

Hernández made that same change, and spoke on the Dodgers Territory podcast about how crucial it ended up being for him.

“Finding out about my right eye was pretty key,” Hernández said this week. “Kinda saved my season, and who knows if it saved my career. There was a chance that I was a couple days away from getting DFA’d last year.”

With all the talent on what would end up becoming a World Series-winning roster, that was definitely a potential scenario. Hernández also spoke on the difficulty of what he was trying to do without properly seeing.

“Being able to do the hardest thing that there is in all of sports, which is hitting a baseball, when you can’t really see the spin of a ball is a pretty hard thing to do,” Hernández said. “But I am glad we have that resolved for now and I’m looking forward to a full season of being healthy, feeling strong, and being able to see.”

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Hernández got his diagnosis: Astigmatism in his right eye. After getting special glasses to wear on the field, the second half of the season from the first was like night and day for the utility man.

After the All-Star break, Hernández had a slash line of .274/.307/.458 and an OPS of .766. This kind of play only improved as the pressure started to build.

His October slash line was .294/.357/.451 with an OPS of .808. He added two home runs, six RBIs, and a World Series trophy to cap it all off.

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