12:06pm: It’s a one-year, $4.5MM deal, reports Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

11:48am: As expected, the Dodgers are bringing Kiké Hernández back for the 2026 season. The utilityman announced the agreement on social media, posting “What else did you expect? Three in a row has a nice ring to it!” The Dodgers have not yet announced the signing. They’ll need to open a spot on the 40-man roster once the signing is final.

Hernández has spent the past two and a half seasons in L.A. He sandwiched a few seasons in Boston in between but has spent the majority of his career with the Dodgers. Hernández was a high-end utility player earlier in his career, playing plus defense everywhere on the diamond while hitting left-handed pitching well. His offensive production has tailed off over the past few years, but the Dodgers love him as a clubhouse presence and he remains a versatile defender.

The 34-year-old Hernández is coming off a .203/.255/.366 showing across 256 regular season plate appearances. He popped 10 home runs in 93 games but struck out at a career-high 26.6% clip. Since returning to L.A. at the 2023 trade deadline, he’s a .228/.279/.382 hitter in a little over 800 trips to the plate. His .220/.278/.393 line against left-handed pitching is well below what he did against southpaws earlier in his career.

Hernández does have a strong postseason track record, compiling an .826 OPS over 103 games in October. That didn’t really materialize last season, when he hit .250/.290/.359 with one homer in 69 playoff plate appearances.

Image courtesy of Michael McLoone, Imagn Images.

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