Dodgers: 3 internal options that could fill Kiké Hernandez’s role

2. Sheldon Neuse

Not too long ago, the Dodgers traded reliever Adam Kolarek to the Oakland Athletics and one of the players they got back in the deal was Sheldon Neuse, who is currently on the 40-man roster.

Though Neuse primarily played third base during his time in the minor leagues, when the A’s brought him up in 2019 they used him much more at second base. Pretty weird, especially since the 26-year-old mostly played shortstop in college! He’s logged some time there in the minors as well, and has been used sparingly in the outfield as recently as 2019.

Throw in the fact he’s got a pretty nice bat, and the fit is there as long as he continues to progress. He’s only appeared in 25 MLB games, so there’s plenty of room to grow and he’ll have to prove himself this spring, but who wouldn’t be excited about a .294 batting average and .812 OPS across 414 career minor league games, which featured an impressive campaign at Triple-A Las Vegas in 2019.

The righty slugger was among the top-ranked hitters in the A’s system before making his debut, but because of his background at third base, he was traded likely due to the presence of Matt Chapman. The Dodgers could’ve seen some potential with his versatility, which makes him among the candidates to work toward replacing Hernandez.