Dodgers Trade Rumors: Red Sox's Kiké Hernández Dealt to LAD for 2 AAA Pitchers

Veteran utilityman Kiké Hernandez is reportedly on his way back to a familiar place.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Boston Red Sox are finalizing a trade that would send Hernandez to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday. Hernandez had spent six seasons with the Dodgers before signing with the Red Sox in 2021.

Passan added that the Red Sox will receive a pair of right-handed reliever prospects, Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman, from the Dodgers. Robertson has pitched 10.1 major-league innings this season, while Hagenman has spent most of the year in Triple-A.

Red Sox teammate Justin Turner, who also played with Hernandez in Los Angeles, was clearly unhappy to hear the news:

Hernandez is a versatile player who has lined up at shortstop and second base as well as in the outfield. The 31-year-old has appeared in 86 games this season and is hitting .222/.279/.320 with six home runs and 31 RBI.

A 10-year veteran, Hernandez made his major-league debut in 2014 with the Houston Astros before being traded to the Miami Marlins midway through that season. He was then traded to the Dodgers as part of a seven-player deal in 2015.

Hernandez was a member of Los Angeles' World Series-winning team in 2020. During the postseason that year, he hit .214/.290/.464 with two homers and four RBI. His signature moment came in Game 7 of the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves when he became the first player to pinch-hit a game-tying home run in a winner-take-all game with his solo blast in the sixth inning.

Hernandez will fill multiple needs for the Dodgers, who lost shortstop Gavin Lux to a torn ACL during spring training. Second baseman Miguel Vargas and center fielder James Outman have also struggled this season, so Hernandez will add some depth to those positions.

The Dodgers rank first in the NL West with a 57-42 record but will be looking to snap a two-game skid when they face the Toronto Blue Jays (56-45) on Tuesday night.