The Red Sox officially have what may be their primary starting second baseman for 2021.
The team announced the signing of infielder Kiké Hernandez Tuesday. It is believed he will get first shot at the second base job, although the 29-year-old -- who inked a two-year, $14 million contract -- has played a significant amount of games in the outfield, as well.
The following is the team's release on the acquisition:
Hernández, 29, has appeared in 690 games over seven major league seasons with the Houston Astros (2014), Miami Marlins (2014), and Los Angeles Dodgers (2015-20). Including his lone pitching appearance in 2018, he has played every defensive position other than catcher, making 132 starts at second base, 128 in center field, 60 in left field, 56 at shortstop, 35 in right field, 14 at third base, and 11 at first base. The right-handed hitter has batted .240 (430-for-1,791) with a .738 OPS and 71 home runs, experiencing career highs in 2018 in games (145), homers (21), and runs scored (67) while batting .256 (103-for-402) with an .806 OPS.
Against left-handed pitchers in his career, Hernández has batted .263 (206-for-784) with an .820 OPS. In 58 career postseason games—all with the Dodgers—he has hit .213 (26-for-122) with eight home runs and 18 RBI. Five of his home runs have come in the National League Championship Series, as he helped Los Angeles reach the World Series in 2017, 2018, and 2020. Each of his two home runs in the 2020 NLCS against the Atlanta Braves tied the score, accomplishing the feat in the fifth inning of Game 1 and in the sixth inning of Game 7.
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Hernández was part of Team Puerto Rico in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Current Red Sox manager Alex Cora served as the general manager for that team, which lost to the United States in the final. Hernández currently resides in Glendale, CA.
