Dodgers News: LA Trades for Versatile Infielder from Athletics

The Dodgers acquired Yonny Hernandez from the A's, giving them a versatile defender and good baserunner with years of team control left.

The smallest players in Dodgers history to play during the live-ball era and not while half the league was fighting in World War II was Wilton Guerrero, the brother of Vlad Guerrero and uncle of Vlad Guerrero Jr., who checked in at 5-foot-11 and a whopping 145 pounds. If the rest of this offseason goes a certain way, Wilton might need to make way for a new little guy, because the Dodgers made a trade on Thursday.

The Dodgers acquired IF Yonny Hernández from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for cash.

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) December 15, 2022

Yonny Hernadez is listed at 5-foot-9 and 140 pounds, a diminutive utility infielder who, at least in the minors, specializes in putting the bat on the ball and getting on base. In seven seasons in the minors, Hernandez has batted .262 with a .388 on-base percentage, with 325 walks in 2,202 plate appearances and just 307 strikeouts. Unsurprisingly, given his size, Hernandez has just five career minor-league homers and just a .324 slugging percentage.

Hernandez has spent parts of two seasons in the big leagues, getting 166 plate appearances with the 2021 Rangers and 28 with the 2022 Diamondbacks. In those brief stints, he's batted .198 with a .521 OPS.

But Hernandez is a switch-hitter who can play all over the infield and is an excellent baserunner, and he's only 24 years old, has two option years left, and won't be a free agent for six more years. He's unlikely to be a big impact player, but if the Dodgers player development system can help him convert his modest minor-league success to the big leagues, his speed and defensive versatility could make him a valuable bench player.