Dodgers' Kiké Hernandez Wanted LA to Trade Him Before Career Took Off

Aug 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Kike Hernandez (8) hits a two RBI single to Cincinnati Reds center fielder TJ Friedl (29) and scores starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) and right fielder Teoscar Hernandez (37) in the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Dodgers utilityman Kike Hernandez has become a fan favorite in LA, but things could have turned out very differently for the 12-year MLB veteran.

Hernandez arrived in LA after the 2014 season, when the Dodgers sent Dee Gordon, Dan Haren and Miguel Rojas to the Miami Marlins. Hernandez revealed he wanted to be traded again, as the Dodgers had absurd depth across the diamond, and he didn't think he'd get his shot.

“I was hoping I’d be traded again because looking at the Dodger roster at the time, I thought I was going to make a career out of Triple-A baseball,” Hernández said. “(President of Baseball Operations) Andrew Friedman got on the phone with me and said their plans were real with me. They were looking for players like me as far as playing different positions. And I was saying to myself, ‘Alright, sure. I’ll believe it when I see it.’

“A decade later, here we are.”

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Hernandez did manage to break through into the team in 2015, playing 76 games and ending the season with a very solid .836 OPS. He stayed with the Dodgers for five more seasons, winning the 2020 World Series with the team before declaring free agency, and joined the Red Sox. He stayed in Boston for two full seasons, and found his way back to LA when the Dodgers traded for him near the deadline in 2023.

He finished 2023 with a .731 OPS with the Dodgers, and continued to play an important role in 2024, where he featured in 126 games. He also had a fantastic postseason performance — which has come to be expected out of him come October — posting a .808 OPS with two home runs as he went on to win his second World Series title with the Dodgers.

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Hernandez is now looking for his third championship with the Dodgers in 2025, and has once again hit postseason form. In the Dodgers' Wild Card series against the Cincinnati Reds, Hernandez went 4-for-8 with a double, three runs and an RBI.

The Dodgers will hope Hernandez can continue to produce, as they head into the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies for their next series on Saturday.

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