Enrique Hernández, a versatile player in free agency who was most recently with the Los Angeles Dodgers, communicated via his Instagram profile on Saturday afternoon that he had recently undergone a surgical procedure on his left elbow to address an ailment that had been a problem for him during the summer months. He also recognized that the recovery period would prevent him from participating in the upcoming World Baseball Classic in the spring. He had intended to represent the Puerto Rican squad.
Hernández’s elbow issue started in May. He mentioned that continuing to play despite the injury resulted in a bone fracture. He noticeably refrained from specifying when he would be able to play again, only mentioning that it would prevent him from playing in what would have been his third World Baseball Classic competition.
Hernández, who is 34 years old, had a batting average of .203, an on-base percentage of .255, and a slugging percentage of .366 (72 OPS+) with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs throughout 92 games. In spite of his injury and difficulties during the regular season, he was a dependable player in the Dodgers’ lineup as they pursued a World Series victory. In 17 of those games, he drove in seven runs and made a positive contribution to Win Probability Added, according to Baseball Reference’s calculations.
Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports that “there is mutual interest in another reunion between Hernández and the Dodgers.” If the two parties reach a consensus on a new agreement, Hernández will play for Los Angeles for a portion of a tenth season. He already holds the team record for postseason appearances (though this statistic is largely a reflection of the expanded postseason structure of the current era).
Hernández has a career batting average of .236/.305/.403 (91 OPS+) and has played in nearly every defensive position over the course of his 12 seasons. He has accumulated about 18 Wins Above Replacement during his career.
