"I don’t want to keep bouncing around" - Teoscar Hernández opens up on his looming free agency and desire to stay with Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has been having a great time with the club this season. Last week, he won the NL Player of the Week Award due to his stellar performance.
Hernandez hit nine out of 25 times at bat, including four home runs, three doubles, six runs scored and 10 RBIs during June 2-9. The Dodgers signed him to a one-year, $23.5 million contract in January 2024.
Although he will be a free agent by the end of the current season, Hernandez has expressed his desire to stay with the team (via MLB.com):
“I want to stay. I don’t want to keep bouncing around the league. I feel good here, comfortable. I think this is a good chance for me to win. That is the most important thing for me. It’s a great group. I would love to stay,” Hernandez said.
So far in the 2024 season, Teoscar Hernandez has hit 16 home runs and 48 RBIs, leading the team in both categories with a batting line of .266/.333/.516. He also has an OPS of .849. When Hernandez was asked about what he learned from observing his superstar teammates like Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, he said:
“You try to do everything that they do: How they prepare, how they do things in the clubhouse, batting cage and on the field. It’s not a surprise by the things that they have done during their careers.
“They have been doing it for 10 years. It’s great. You have to take something away from those guys, and put it into your career and try to get the same results.”
Teoscar Hernández determined to contribute to team’s championship victory
The Los Angeles Dodgers lead the NL West with a 41-26 record. In the team’s 6-4 loss against the New York Yankees on Sunday, Teoscar Hernandez went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
When asked about his desire to win a championship in Major League Baseball, Hernandez said (via MLB.com):
“That’s the final goal in my career. I have a ring, but I wasn’t there with the Houston Astros in 2017. But I want to be there. I want to work for it. I want to get this ring because I did this. I helped this team win this.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers face the Texas Rangers on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium in the opener of their three-game series.