Dodgers: Kiké Hernandez Looks to Right the Ship Against Righties

Prior to becoming the everyday second baseman for the Dodgers, Kiké Hernandez was a platoon player who mashed lefties.  He hit righties better in 2018 but is once again struggling.

The Dodgers made Kiké Hernandez their everyday second baseman this season, as he finally shed the platoon role of mainly starting against lefties last season. Kiké has always mashed lefties but last season he improved against right-handed pitching and posted a solid .252/.338/.495 slash line while playing all over the diamond as usual.

This season, Hernandez had a stellar spring training earning the starting second base role.  He has hit a slump lately and overall has hit .226 with a .308 on-base percentage but that is weighed down by his renewed struggles against righties.  Against lefties, Kiké is hitting .292 with a .918 OPS but versus right-handed pitching, he has hit just .191 with a .637 OPS.  Over the last three seasons, he has an OPS over .800 against southpaws but it is under .700 against righties.

While it is too soon to start benching Kiké against right-handed pitching, it is something to keep an eye on if he doesn’t improve.  With A.J. Pollock out for the foreseeable future, his starting role is not in danger, but once Pollock returns the Dodgers could shift Max Muncy to second base, Cody Bellinger to first, and Alex Verdugo in right field against right-handed pitching.

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That is only if Hernandez continues to struggle against right-handed pitching.  If Chris Taylor was hitting right-handed pitching then he could take at-bats at second base, but even with his recent revival, CT3 has a measly .499 OPS against right-handed pitching.  That means that the next couple of months are critical for Kiké to avoid another platoon at second base.

If he continues to struggle against right-handed pitching, then the Dodgers could be forced to shuffle the deck to get a better bat in at second base against righties.  The ideal scenario is Kiké rebounds and starts hitting right-handers to continue manning second base on an every game basis.  His defense is solid at second base, and his energy helps spark the Dodgers whenever he starts.

The Dodgers have one of the deepest and most talented rosters in baseball, meaning when every player is fully healthy, Dave Roberts will have some tough decisions to make.  If Hernandez doesn’t right the ship against right-handed pitching, then Roberts will be left with no choice but to once again employ a platoon at second base.