Dodgers Insider Offers Disappointing Update on Kiké Hernandez Free Agency

Oct 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Enrique Hernandez (8) celebrates defeating the New York Yankees during game one of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit:  Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
Oct 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Enrique Hernandez (8) celebrates defeating the New York Yankees during game one of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
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Re-signing Kiké Hernández might have gotten more difficult, according to Los Angeles Dodgers insider Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

Plunkett joined the Dodgers Territory podcast and said he isn't hearing much from the team regarding the fan favorite utility player.

"I'm not hearing much from the Dodgers at all," Plunkett said. "Take that to mean whatever you want. I don't see a need. The roster is pretty full. I don't know who you would bounce off to make room."

This update from Plunkett came just days after ESPN's Buster Olney joined Dodgers Nation's Doug McKain and said re-signing Hernández is "incredibly important."

“The season is so long,” Olney told McKain. “I think that if you’re a fan and you look at the players and you tune into one game and you imagine them having the same intensity that you did when you played little league, it’s not that way.”

Hernández's role with the Dodgers is incredibly niche during the regular season. He can play anywhere but he doesn't play every day.

Yet he brings a level of energy that is unmatched in the clubhouse which is much needed with the highs and lows of the long season.

“This is their daily job and they go through ups and downs like the rest of us do where some days you’re really into it and some days you’re not really into it,” Olney said.

“And so to have personalities that bring energy to the park like Kiké, that’s incredibly important,” he added.

Hernández would love nothing more than to return to the Dodgers.

More news: Dodgers Sign 2-Time All-Star Reliever as Dominant Offseason Continues

"Main priority for me would probably be coming back," Hernández recently said on The Shop. "I think this team — the Dodgers are very well positioned to make another run and be the first back-to-back team since the New York Yankees in '99 and 2000."

Hernández made his intentions clear again while working a fan event at Raisin' Canes.

"I would love to be back," Hernández said. "I truly believe that — we won the World Series a couple of days ago — but I truly believe that this team is gonna be even better next year with all the pitching reinforcements."

While Hernández would love to continue playing in Los Angeles, what the Dodgers want remains unclear as they continue to finalize their roster heading into spring training.

More news: ESPN Insider Reveals Why Dodgers Have to Bring Back Kiké Hernandez


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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State and has been a sports writer since 2008. Despite growing up in the South, her sports obsession has always been in Los Angeles. She is currently a staff writer at the LA Sports Report Network.