Red Sox reliever Brennan Bernardino has some crazy stories
The Kiké Hernandez era with the Red Sox is over a bit earlier than anticipated.
As was first reported by The Athletic, the Dodgers have traded for Hernandez, who played for Los Angeles from 2015-20.
In return, the Red Sox receive two minor-league pitchers, Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman.
Robertson is a 6-foot-6 righty who was drafted by the Dodgers in the seventh round and made nine appearances with the Dodgers this season. With Triple-A Oklahoma City, Robertson has a 2.54 ERA in 27 relief appearances.
Hagenman, aother righty, was a 23rd round pick in 2018 and has a 2.78 ERA in 25 Triple-A appearances this season.
Hernandez is playing the 2023 under a one-year, $10 million contract he agreed to last September. The utilityman, who has been with the Red Sox since 2021, was made expendable with the return of Pablo Reyes off the injured list and the emergence of Yu Chang at shortstop.
The plan to play Hernandez as the regular shortstop in 2023 ended up disastrous, with his defensive ratings residing among the worst in all of baseball, making an MLB-high 14 errors in just 64 games at the position.
Offensively, Hernandez also represented a shadow of himself compared to what he had produced in his first two seasons with the Red Sox, hitting .222 with a .599 OPS.
Hernandez's most memorable contribution as a Red Sox came during the 2021 postseason, when he hit .450 with a 1.329 OPS in the American League Division Series before tearing up the ALCS by batting .385 with a 1.254 OPS.
He initially came to the Red Sox in 2021 with the intention of becoming their everyday second baseman, but was quickly shifted to center field, where he flourished.
With his lack of production, and the return of Reyes, there simply wasn't any place for Hernandez to fit in. Jarren Duran has emerged as the almost-everyday center fielder, with Adam Duvall also playing the position, and depth in the infield doesn't seem to be a necessity due to the presence of Christian Arroyo and the returning Trevor Story.
More to come ...