Dodgers insider provides Kiké Hernández update that will assuage fans' fears

Kiké Hernández isn't officially a 2026 Dodger, but we all know that he's going to be at some point. Last year, he re-signed just a few days before spring training began; this year, he's recovering from an offseason elbow surgery without a clear timeline to return, and the Dodgers don't need him taking up a 40-man spot while they're trying to go about their offseason.

In all likelihood, the Dodgers will re-sign Hernández when the 60-day IL reopens, or even deeper into the season, when he's getting closer to a return.

That's been pretty clear to most Dodgers fans, but there are still some who were fretting over Andy Ibáñez's one-year major league deal with the team, and Ryan Fitzgerald's addition from the waiver wire (Fitzgerald has since been DFA'd).

Dodgers insider Katie Woo said she doesn't think Ibáñez's addition reflects poorly on the chance the Dodgers re-sign Hernández at all. "When they get later on into the offseason, yeah, they're locked in. They're just seeing how this recovery goes. [...] If you're the Dodgers, and this is the smart play, there's no reason to sign Kiké right now, because he's going to take one of those very valuable 40-man spots."

Andy Ibáñez's signing in no way keeps the Dodgers from re-signing Kiké Hernández

Maybe Dodgers fans are a little haunted by what happened last offseason, when Hernández had multiple offers on the table from other teams and admitted he toyed with taking them, but this feels different. Even though he wasn't the same postseason monster in 2025 as he'd been previously, he's now won three World Series with the Dodgers, who still need his versatility.

If the Dodgers were to trade for a guy like Brendan Donovan, who can basically do everything Hernández can — and do it better, in some respects — then we'd be having more a conversation about whether or not Hernández still fits onto the roster (outside of his postseason prowess).

But Ibáñez is a career .694 OPS hitter who was ousted from the Tigers because he could no longer hit lefties. He'll be easy enough to toss aside as soon as Hernández is good to go (if not even sooner, depending on his performance).

Hernández will re-sign with the Dodgers and all will be right with the world. A new contract will cost them basically nothing (in the grand Dodgers' scheme of things, anyway), and they both want and need their glue guy back.