Kiké Hernandez makes nifty play at shortstop to end inning vs. Twins

BOSTON — With Xander Bogaerts gone, shortstop play is going to be a focal point for the Red Sox this year.

And though it’s still tremendously early in 2023, Kiké Hernandez showed that he’s got some tricks in his bag while manning the shortstop position.

At JetBlue Park on Monday afternoon, the visiting Twins had two runners aboard with two outs in the second inning. With Kutter Crawford facing Austin Martin, the right-hander induced a ground ball between short and third base. The ball shot past a diving Rafael Devers, but Hernandez fielded the ball in shallow right field.

After making the backhand scoop while running toward third base, Hernandez hopped up on one leg and fired across his body to try to retire Martin and end the inning. His throw was accurate, and Justin Turner was able to make the scoop at first to record the out.

That’s the type of play that gives the Red Sox confident in Hernandez’s ability to man the position this season.

Hernandez has primarily been outfielder in his career, with most of his infield experience coming at second base. But he has played shortstop in the majors for 618 innings, posting a .978 fielding percentage in that time. He hasn’t spent a great deal of time at shortstop since 2018, so this spring work is particularly important for him as he prepares to be Boston’s everyday shortstop in 2023.