The Los Angeles Dodgers made several notable moves prior to the August 1 trade deadline, including acquiring Kiké Hernández from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Minor League pitchers Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman.
The deal represented a reunion as Hernández previously spent six seasons with the Dodgers from 2015-2020. He provided positional flexibility and delivered key postseason hits throughout that time.
Since then, Hernández has largely struggled at the plate for the Red Sox, and his top priority is now getting back on track with the Dodgers. “Cleaning up some of the mechanical flaws,” Hernández answered when asked what his focus has been.
“I guess I created some really bad habits over the last two years, and we’re trying to clean that up, get into better spots that allows me to not necessarily get my A swing off on a daily basis but be in a better position to drive the ball more consistently.”
Hernández believes the majority of his struggles stemmed from poor mechanics. “Just really bad mechanics,” he explained. “Stepping in the bucket and not being able to hold my backside made the swing too East and West. It’s tough to have success like that.”
Despite being only one week into his second stint with the Dodgers, Hernández has already noticed an improvement at the plate. Through five games, he is 4-for-13 with two doubles and three RBI.
The 31-year-old delivered a bases-clearing double in the Dodgers’ 7-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday. “I feel like the last couple days I was over in Boston, I started swinging the bat a little bit better,” Hernández began.
“Once I got here, we started locking in on the mechanics. From just watching video the last couple days, it looks better compared to what I was doing. Just keep building off it.”
Kiké Hernández believes he has best Freddie Freeman dance
When asked who has the best Freddie Freeman dance on the Dodgers, Hernández thinks he is at the top of the list. “I haven’t seen everybody get an extra-base hit, so I can’t really judge just yet,” Hernández said.
“But, I mean, if it involves shaking hips and moving, I would probably be up there on the list. But I’ll give them some time to let them get a double or triple to see what they’re going to do.”
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