"In terms of current players, only Jose Altuve has more postseason experience than Hernandez. The regular season version of the 34-year-old is wildly inconsistent bordering on poor. In 2025, Hernandez hit .203 with 10 homers and a horrible .255 on-base percentage. Whether it be a lack of concentration or some other circumstance, the Puerto Rican utility man struggles in any month not called October."
"The postseason version of Hernandez is well documented. He has a career .826 OPS in playoff games. Hernandez has come up with timely hit after timely hit for this ballclub. Defensively, as we saw during this postseason, Hernandez has a flair for the dramatic. He can play all over the field, and can do so at an above-average level. The whole "Kiktober" moniker is a real thing. Few players within this group are as trusted as Hernandez. The value he brings as a chemistry guy in the clubhouse is also significant."
The Dodgers must balance keeping a veteran core with adding youth and athleticism while chasing a potential third consecutive World Series. Max Muncy is under contract for at least one more year. Miguel Rojas and Kiké Hernandez represent the two main veteran uncertainties. Hernandez delivers elite postseason production (.826 career playoff OPS), defensive versatility, timely hitting, and clubhouse chemistry despite 2025 regular-season struggles (.203 average, .255 OBP). Rojas provides an elite infield glove and dependable ground-ball defense that offsets durability concerns among other infield options. The team should likely re-sign only one of the two veterans.
Read at Dodgers Nation
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