Red Sox: Kiké Hernández gives Boston the performance they needed

Kiké Hernández comes through big in Red Sox win

Kiké Hernández was one of the driving forces of the Red Sox offense last season and many, myself included, hoped he’d pick up right where he left off. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case and Boston’s enigmatic centerfielder has been more of a hindrance than help at the plate in 2022. Last night in Arlington, though, he may have finally found what he’s been looking for.

I’m sure some of you may think I’m crazy to announce that Kiké is back, but I’m willing to jump on that train. Some of you may also begin to point out he’s still hitting just .167 and had another strikeout last night, but that’s not the point. He was once again in the leadoff spot against the Rangers and he would finish the night 1-2 with two walks and a run. So I’ll gladly take that one whiff if it means he’ll be on base three times as well.

If the Red Sox are going to mount any sort of fight in 2022 they’re going to need guys like Kiké, Alex Verdugo, and Trevor Story to all start doing what we know they’re capable of. We simply can’t count on Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, and J.D. Martinez to do all the work every night. Seeing Hernández not only get on base time after time last night but also crossing home plate is a massive step in the right direction.

Seeing Kiké draw walks instead of swinging and missing trying to force some offense is what this team relied on last season. Plate discipline and patience are what brought the Red Sox to within two games of the World Series, and it’s been lacking in a massive way in 2022. I’m a realist, though, and I know that not everything is going to be rainbows and sunshine just because one player had a good night and the team won, but it at least offers hope.

We saw it when Kyle Schwarber joined the team last year. His plate discipline quickly worked its way through the clubhouse and instead of trying to do too much, we saw guys drawing more walks and waiting for their pitches. Maybe, just maybe, if Kiké can start to get back to what he does best maybe others in the lineup will follow suit.

While I’m feeling a bit more optimistic after last night I’m not ready to fully jump into the deep end just yet. Earlier in the season, we saw Kiké go on a bit of a hot streak and it quickly fizzled out. Hell, if he had another miserable night last night I was ready to suggest he take a trip to Worcester to try and figure things out. I won’t fully hit that panic button just yet.

Thankfully, the Red Sox have a very friendly schedule, albeit they will hit the Astros, Angels, and White Sox, they also get to see the Reds, Tigers, Orioles, and Mariners. Boston doesn’t need to go on a wild tear through the end of May and well into June they just need to play some baseball and not lose every series. Sweeps are cool, but at this point, I’ll gladly take series wins over anything as that’s what’s going to get us out of the basement.

In order to start stockpiling those wins, the fellas need to get on base and score some runs. We saw how well that works last night. Guys got on base and then the rest of the lineup didn’t try to do too much to bring them home. That’s all you need to do. Stop trying to hit moon shots every at-bat and just get on or move those already on around the base paths. Hernández got that started on the right foot by leading off with a walk. Just get on base.

The pitching has been far better than anyone wants to give it credit for and now it’s time for the bats to hold up their end of the bargain. Kiké Hernández is very good at what he does and it’s just a matter of him getting back into the groove that got him to where he is. Last night was a step in the right direction and he delivered exactly what the Red Sox needed him to do. Here’s to hoping he found what he was missing and we see him go on an absolute tear.