One day, the pain would be in his groin. The next day it would be in his abdomen. Then it would shift to his hips or his adductors or his quadriceps. For much of the last two seasons, Kiké Hernández played through discomfort that ranged from annoying to excruciating, the utility man sitting out about one-third of the 2022 season with Boston because of injuries and gritting through one of the worst seasons of his career for the Red Sox and Dodgers in 2023.
Though his scans appeared clean entering last year, the injuries persisted for Hernández, who hit .222 with a .599 OPS, six homers and 31 RBIs in 86 games for Boston before being traded to the Dodgers for two prospects on July 25. Hernández’s production improved a bit in Los Angeles, where he hit .262 with a .731 OPS, five homers and 30 RBIs in 54 games, but his overall numbers for the season — a .237 average, .