Dodgers fan favorite boldly announces return on Super Bowl Sunday

Kiké Hernández's return to the Dodgers has felt more like a matter of 'when' than 'if' throughout the offseason. There were occasionally reasons to doubt that they would bring him back, like when they signed KBO star Hyeseong Kim and announced their intention to keep him in a floating superutility/bench role, but Hernández plainly and publicly stated his desire to return, and GM Brandon Gomes said at DodgerFest that they would "never close the door on Kiké."

On Sunday, Hernández posted a hype reel from the Dodgers' 2024 postseason run on both Twitter and Instagram with a simple caption: "Walking through the open door."

That was basically all he needed to say for fans to connect the dots. However, Fabian Ardaya quickly followed up to confirm that Hernández and the Dodgers had reached a new deal that'll have him suiting up in Dodger blue again next season (pending a physical).

The terms of the deal have yet to be announced, but Hernández said it himself — he's coming back to LA.

Kiké Hernández cheekily breaks the news of Dodgers reunion himself on Super Bowl Sunday

Hernández was connected to a few other teams in free agency — the Yankees and Phillies in more recent days — but he, like Teoscar Hernández before him, made it pretty clear that he was going to give any new offer from the Dodgers priority. Fans desperately wanted him back, too; Gomes' Q&A at DodgerFest was interrupted by chants of "Kiké! Kiké! Kiké!"

The question now is who the Dodgers will cut in order to make room for him. When they signed Kirby Yates, they let go of Ryan Brasier instead of another (much more obvious and deserving) reliever, but the bullpen is still really the only place where the Dodgers can easily make cuts. Maybe this will finally mark the end of Michael Grove's tenure in LA.

Hernández's return gives the Dodgers no less than six bench players — Hernández, Kim, Andy Pages, Chris Taylor, Miguel Rojas, and Austin Barnes — but fans could care little about the complicated roster moves or tricky future lineup configurations. All that matters is that Kiké is back.