Kiké Hernández somehow manages to surprise Dodgers fans with expected return

Last week, Kiké Hernández was asked by a fan on the street if he would be coming back to the Dodgers, to which Hernández replied with a noncommittal shrug.

Some kind of verbal reassurance might've been nicer, but fans knew that there was nothing to worry about. For the past two years, the Dodgers have waited until deep into the offseason — sometimes even into the first few days of spring training — to officially bring him back.

In both 2024 and 2025, Hernández announced his own re-signing on social media, but not before making fans sweat a little.

And he did it again in 2026. On Thursday, he posted a picture of himself on the Dodgers' World Series parade float with the caption: "What else did you expect?!!! 3 in a row has a nice ring to it! #WeBack."

And, of course, he's shrugging in the photo.

Hernández's return has always felt like the final piece of every roster puzzle. It was a no-brainer, and it was always going to happen this way. The Dodgers get one of the glue guys back.

Kiké Hernández announces his own return to the Dodgers for the third year in a row

Because Hernández always breaks these things himself, it takes a little while longer to find out about exact details, but he made $6.5 million in 2025. Because he won't be ready by Opening Day, something a little lower seems right for 2026. Maybe one-year, $5 million? It's still more than he made in 2024 ($4 million), but it accounts for his absence through at least the first month or so of the season.

His signing comes directly on the heels of Max Muncy's one-year contract extension, which will keep him in LA through at least 2027 (there's a club option for 2028), and Evan Phillips' re-signing to a one-year, $6.5 million deal despite the fact that he underwent Tommy John in May of last year and probably won't be ready to pitch until the late summer at the earliest.

But Hernández and Phillips don't need to be ready immediately. The Dodgers are spoiled, overwhelmingly so, with choice. There are a whole host of young pitchers hoping to get even just a bullpen spot, and there's Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland expected to battle it out for reps in the middle infield.

Bringing both back are reassurances for the end of the season and the postseason, which is what the Dodgers care most about anyway. Even if he misses some inconsequential games in April or May, postseason monster Kiké will get a chance to return in 2026.