Dodgers: Old Teammate Pressured Justin Turner to Join Red Sox

Former Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner was pulled by former L.A. teammate, Kiké Hernandez, to ultimately sign with the Red Sox last week. 

Although Justin Turner is leaving Los Angeles, the move was exciting for in many ways. One of the main reasons Turner signed with Boston was in large part due to Hernandez. The pair played together for six seasons with the Dodgers before Hernandez left for the Sox. 

Hernandez has spent the last two seasons with Boston and looks to take it to a whole new level now that he gets to play with one of his close friends.  

Turner joined MLB Network on Monday to talk about how Hernandez swayed his decision to sign with the Red Sox.

“I talk to Kiké all the time, obviously, but he was texting me every day like, ‘Hey, what’s going on? Did we call you yet? Did we Zoom you yet? What’s happening? Let’s go. Okay. I’m going to make a phone call.’ And it was on and on and obviously, anyone who follows him on social media knows that he was pretty excited, and I think the feeling is mutual to be back with him because, I don’t think there’s too many guys that have more fun playing baseball than Kiké so, it’ll be nice to be around him again.”

The two friends serve as an inspiration to one another and will help elevate each other’s careers further. 

Not only will JT and Hernandez be reunited, Turner will also be welcomed by other familiar faces. The Red Sox have a handful of former Dodger players including Kenley Jansen, Alex Verdugo, and Chris Martin. 

Now that JT is on a new team, he may be comfortable with his surroundings, but he will still have to  slightly adjust to the playing style. With the Red Sox, the two-time All-Star is expected to split time between designated hitter and first base. 

Nevertheless, if it’s one thing JT and Hernandez know how to do, it’s win. The duo won a World Series title together back in 2020, so they are capable of carrying that same winning mentality to Boston this season.