The Red Sox have reportedly traded utility player Kiké Hernandez to the Dodgers, where he played for five seasons before signing with Boston. Jeffrey Phelps/Associated Press
BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox traded Kiké Hernández to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, sending the slumping utilityman back to his home for six seasons and his only World Series title.
The Red Sox received right-handers Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman in exchange for Hernández, who struggled at the plate and in the field this season. He was batting .222 in 86 games at shortstop, second base and outfield while also leading the major leagues with 15 errors.
Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts said Monday before a game against Toronto that he expected the front office to be active leading up to the deadline, especially when trying to add another arm or two to the starting rotation or depth on the bench. Los Angeles led the AL West entering Tuesday night’s games, with a four-game lead over Arizona and San Francisco.
Trading Hernández opens up a position on the Red Sox roster for the return of infielder Pablo Reyes from an injury, and it doesn’t commit them to either buying or selling at the trading deadline. Boston entered play Tuesday night six games above .500 and only 2 1/2 games out of the AL wild-card race, but also in last place in the AL East.
Hernández opened the year as Boston’s No. 1 shortstop, filling in for departed free agent Xander Bogaerts after designated heir Trevor Story was injured. But he was moved to the outfield after committing five errors in the first eight games; in the last month, he has started the game on the bench about half of the time.
In three seasons with the Red Sox, Hernandez batted .234 with 32 homers and 136 RBIs He hit .408 with five homers during the Boston’s run to the 2021 ALCS, the team’s only playoff appearance in his tenure.
Robertson, 25, was optioned to Triple-A Worcester. He has allowed seven runs in 10 1/3 innings in nine career appearances with the Dodgers, all in relief. Hagenman, 26, has made 25 appearances for Triple-A Oklahoma City this season, posting a 2.78 ERA.
ALSO TUESDAY, the Red Sox activated reliever John Schreiber from the 60-day injured list and reinstated starter Brayan Bello from the paternity list. On Monday, they activated infielder Pablo Reyes from the IL and optioned pitchers Brandon Walter and Justin Garza to Triple-A Worcester.
Schreiber will serve as the opener vs. the Braves on Tuesday. He has been on the injured list since May 16 with a right teres major strain and missed 57 games. He has a 2.12 ERA in 18 relief appearances (17 innings) for Boston this season and a 2.20 ERA in 82 relief outings (82 innings) for the Red Sox the past two years.
Manager Alex Cora said Schreiber will throw one inning. Nick Pivetta is expected to be the bulk reliever.
“We thought about starting Nick but Schreiber has to pitch regardless,” Cora said. “If we’re up 10 or up one. So why not pitch him right away, get that inning and we’ll decide what we do after that.”
Bello is scheduled to start for Boston on Wednesday.
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