According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, free-agent utility man Enrique Hernandez is considering signing with the Giants, Angels, Twins, or Padres. The announcement follows a rumour Friday that Hernandez was nearing a decision.
Hernandez, 32, began the 2024 season as the Red Sox’s starting shortstop, but he struggled both defensively and offensively. After hitting.222/.279/.320 in 323 plate appearances with Boston in the first half of the season, the team sent Hernandez to the Dodgers for the stretch run. It was a homecoming for Hernandez, who had previously played in Los Angeles for six seasons before signing with Boston in free agency prior to the 2021 season, and on his return to the Dodgers, he found some success on the bench. Hernandez slashed a nearly league-average.262/.308/.423 down the stretch in Los Angeles, moving between every position on the diamond except catcher.
Throughout his career, the veteran has primarily served as a bench hitter, filling in all over the diamond due to his versatility and frequently receiving reps against southpaws due to a career.801 OPS against left-handed pitching. However, Hernandez normally offers somewhat below-average offence overall. Since joining the Dodgers prior to the 2015 season, Hernandez has a career slash line of.239/.310/.408, good for a wRC+ of 93. Hernandez’s lack of offensive presence has often prevented him from establishing a full-time role; 2023 was only the second season of his career in which he totaled 500 plate appearances despite appearing in 130 or more games for his team.
The Angels are likely the least surprising of the alleged bidders for Hernandez’s services, given their previous interest in the 32-year-old. It’s easy to understand why the Halos might be interested in Hernandez’s services. While the club’s lineup includes a number of intriguing players to complement superstar Mike Trout, it provides little stability. Trout and former star slugger Anthony Rendon have been plagued by injuries in recent years, keeping both veterans off the field more often than not, while promising young players like Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel have potential but are far from certain to produce in the majors after brief stints in the minors.
Hernandez’s versatility would allow him to fill in for almost any player in the Anaheim lineup in the event of an injury or underperformance, and the DH spot left open by Shohei Ohtani’s departure could provide Hernandez with a path to semi-regular at-bats even if the club’s starting lineup remains healthy and effective. Hernandez’s versatility may also allow the club to provide greater consistency to 26-year-old infielder Luis Rengifo, who appears to be the club’s starting second baseman this year but has played six different positions in 2023.
The other three bidders for Hernandez’s services had previously not been publicly linked to the veteran. Having said that, each of them could be a good fit for the utility man. The Padres, in particular, are in desperate need of outfield depth after entering the spring with only two outfielders on their 40-man roster: Fernando Tatis Jr. and José Azocar. They’ve added Jurickson Profar on a big league contract since then, and non-roster invitees like Oscar Mercado are attempting to earn a roster spot in spring training, but Hernandez would provide the club with a consistent, veteran presence off the bench who can handle all three outfield positions, relieving pressure on prospects like Jackson Merrill and Jakob Marsee to prove themselves ready for regular big league action.
Hernandez’s roster fit with Minnesota and San Francisco is less clear, since both teams already have crowded positional mixtures. Having said that, Hernandez’s presence could provide the Giants with some veteran stability at shortstop if youngster Marco Luciano does not hit the ground running at the position, and Hernandez’s right-handed bat could serve as a strong complement to an outfield that includes three lefty regulars in Michael Conforto, Jung Hoo Lee, and Mike Yastrzemski.
Meanwhile, the Twins have several young left-handed batters in their lineup, including Edouard Julien, Alex Kirilloff, and Matt Wallner. Adding Hernandez to the club’s positional mix would provide a right-handed bat to compliment those young players, as well as an obvious backup option in centre field if oft-injured star Byron Buxton returns to the bench this season. Buxton isn’t the only Twins player who has struggled with injuries in recent years; Kirilloff, Royce Lewis, and Carlos Correa also suffered injuries last season. While it may be difficult for Minnesota to fit Hernandez on their roster as it stands, the club could try to clear roster space by trading fellow utility player Kyle Farmer or simply optioning Jose Miranda, who was expected to serve as a right-handed bat off the bench this year, to Triple-A to begin the season.
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