Thursday, February 12, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

On Media Day for the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch, the Dodgers announced two major moves regarding fan favorites.

The Dodgers signed Kiké Hernández to a $4.5 million one-year deal. Everyone wanted Kiké Hernández back. He lightens up the grind of the baseball season. After having elbow surgery to reattach a ligament to the bone in November, Hernández cannot play until June.

Hernández’s value is that he is a historic postseason performer. In the history of the Dodger organization, Hernández has appeared in most postseason games. During the 2025 World Series, he made a fantastic defensive play that enabled the Dodgers to go to Game 7.

Also, the Dodgers gave Max Muncy a contract extension for 2027 and a club option for the 2028 season. Since the beginning of the 2018 season, Muncy has been a mainstay for the Dodgers. He provided offensive stability with power and a good eye for the strike zone.

During his Dodger tenure, Muncy has made himself into an adequate defensive third baseman. When the Dodgers signed Freddie Freeman to a 6-year, $162 million deal, Muncy was displaced from first base, where he could have won a Gold Glove.

In 2025, Muncy had a complicated season. He had an extremely slow offensive start to the season. He became a real offensive producer in June. On July 2^nd, just before Clayton Kershaw collected his 3000^th strikeout, Michael A. Taylor ran into Muncy’s knee. For a day, everyone thought Muncy’s 2025 season ended.

However, Muncy returned quickly from a bone bruise. When Muncy played, the Dodgers won. When Muncy didn’t play, the Dodgers lost.

In the 2025 postseason, Muncy had important home runs. If Muncy hadn’t hit an eighth-inning home run in Game 7 in the 2025 World Series, Miguel Rojas couldn’t hit the game-tying home run.

With Hernández and Muncy returning, the Dodgers have everyone together for their possible three-peat journey.