Another Dodgers Player Makes it Known He Wants Kiké Hernandez Back in LA
Los Angeles Dodgers fans aren’t the only ones who want utility man Kiké Hernández back with the team in 2025.
Reliever Anthony Banda also expressed his hope for the fan favorite to re-sign in a conversation with Noel Sanchez of Dodgers Nation during his Meet & Greet at Dodgers Clubhouse in Citadel on Sunday.
“I think everyone in L.A. wants Kiké back,” Banda said to Dodgers Nation. “He was phenomenal with me. He made a great impact on me as a player, as a friend and it was awesome to see him every single day. He brought such high energy he definitely brightened my days. I know he did that for a lot of people, too.
“He was also the very big jokester and everything else like that but when it got down to taking care of business, he was front line of it. He was awesome, he was a great teammate. He’s definitely top three in my category as far as teammates.
“I would love to see him back. I don’t know what’s going to happen or anything else like that but I think all of L.A. is fighting for that.”
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Hernández became a free agent after the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in five games to win the 2024 World Series. He played a huge role in the championship run.
The clubhouse jokester slashed .294/.357/.451 with two homers and six RBIs in 51 at-bats during the postseason and continued to show Major League Baseball why is so valuable when it comes to high pressure moments.
Across his parts of 11 seasons and multiple trips to the postseason, Hernández has put up rather mediocre numbers during the regular season with a .238 batting average and a .713 OPS.
But, there is something about October that enables him to rise to the occasion time and time again.
The reason why the Dodgers signed him before the 2024 season was to win 11 games in October, according to manager Dave Roberts.
“The focus every day (over 162 games) seems to be tougher for him,” Roberts said. “But when you’re talking about the biggest of stages, everyone knows Kiké, he loves the spotlight. And some people love it. Some people run from it.
“When you’re talking about this market, the postseason, people in Puerto Rico watching him all over the country, that’s when he’s his best.”
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Photo Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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