{"id":569564,"date":"2026-02-13T05:31:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T05:31:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/569564\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T05:31:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T05:31:17","slug":"dodgers-bring-back-kike-hernandez-evan-phillips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/569564\/","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers bring back Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez, Evan Phillips"},"content":{"rendered":"

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. \u2013\u2013 Dave Roberts has had a lot of great teams during his tenure as Dodgers<\/a> manager.<\/p>\n

But his 2026 squad, he believes, is \u201cprobably the best team we\u2019ve had on paper.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dave Roberts and Freddie Freeman shake hands during DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium on Jan. 31, 2026. AP<\/p>\n

There\u2019s plenty of premium talent, of course, from returning stars including Shohei Ohtani<\/a>, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, to this offseason\u2019s blockbuster additions of Kyle Tucker and Edwin D\u00edaz<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also ample depth, from longtime veterans in Max Muncy<\/a>, Teoscar Hern\u00e1ndez and Tommy Edman, to younger options including Andy Pages, Roki Sasaki, Hyeseong Kim and a crop of other talented pitchers returning from injury.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shohei Ohtani throwing a baseball during spring training. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Yet, as Roberts spoke at a Cactus League<\/a> media day event Thursday, on the eve of his team\u2019s first workout of spring training<\/a> at Camelback Ranch, there was another, more intangible dynamic bolstering his belief in this year\u2019s team.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing we have a target (on our backs) \u2013\u2013 as we should if we\u2019re the defending champions \u2013\u2013 but to still focus on yourselves and what\u2019s forward, that\u2019s what our guys do a good job of,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to say, to not concern yourselves with people that are trying to knock you off the hill or whatever analogy. But it\u2019s harder to do in practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, for all the money they\u2019ve spent and talent they\u2019ve accrued in recent years, the Dodgers have been steadfast about how their behind-the-scenes culture has buttressed their on-field success.<\/p>\n

Players, coaches and executives have all pointed to the team\u2019s clubhouse chemistry as the bedrock to their back-to-back World Series championships.<\/p>\n

Even with the influx of new faces, the consistency of their core has served as a stabilizing foundation.<\/p>\n

Roki Sasaki pitches during spring training. Getty Images<\/p>\n

To that end, the Dodgers made some long-anticipated moves in the final days of their offseason this week, locking down some familiar faces in order to keep the gang together.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, the club re-signed veteran reliever Evan Phillips to a $6.5 million deal, ensuring he will stay with the organization after being non-tendered earlier this winter (as a way to preserve space on the team\u2019s 40-man roster). <\/p>\n

On Thursday morning, a $10 million contract extension was struck with Muncy, one that will keep what is now the franchise\u2019s longest-tenured player in the fold through 2027 (and potentially 2028 thanks to a $10 million club option). <\/p>\n

And on Thursday afternoon, fan favorite and longtime veteran Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez<\/a> re-signed with the Dodgers on a $4 million contract, too, marking the third-straight winter he has returned to Los Angeles as a free agent.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, Michael Jordan couldn\u2019t do it without Scottie Pippen and the other guys on that team,\u201d fellow veteran Miguel Rojas said at last month\u2019s Fanfest event, speaking specifically of Hern\u00e1ndez but delivering a message that applies to many around the clubhouse. \u201cWe\u2019re all part of this, and we\u2019ve all been part of this for the last couple years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will Klein throwing during spring training. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Exactly how the team\u2019s final winter moves will impact this upcoming season, of course, remains to be seen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Muncy was already entrenched as the team\u2019s starting third baseman for this year. And Phillips and Hern\u00e1ndez are unlikely to play until \u201csometime in the summer,\u201d Roberts said, with Phillips still recovering from last year\u2019s Tommy John surgery and Hern\u00e1ndez from an elbow procedure he had early this offseason.<\/p>\n

But their presence, Roberts noted, is impactful \u2013\u2013 making their returns an important tone-setter as camp gets underway.<\/p>\n

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Consider: After Phillips was non-tendered at the start of the offseason, Roberts said the reliever \u201cwanted to kind of see what was out there, which I respect; he earned that right.\u201d And yet, he ultimately decided to return to the Dodgers, even if his eventual place in a beefed-up bullpen remains unclear.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEvan understanding the value of whatever role we need him, it\u2019s of importance,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cAnd to have that reinforced this year is huge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hern\u00e1ndez also faces an uncertain role this season, whenever he completes his surgical rehab. But that\u2019s been the case for the utilityman over the past several seasons, when he has grinded through limited playing time in the regular season only to deliver when called upon in October.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to crunch time,\u201d Roberts said, \u201che\u2019s gonna be counted on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even Muncy\u2019s extension served as a sign of the team\u2019s priority on maintaining cohesion, proactively locking up a veteran who Roberts said goes \u201cvery under the radar in terms of what he\u2019s done for us to win three championships.\u201d<\/p>\n

Put those moves together, and they represent one more reason Roberts and the Dodgers boast such confidence in this year\u2019s team.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They have a huge payroll (now up to $409 million for luxury tax purposes). They have an almost endless supply of big-name players. And now, they enter the spring with a few fitting final roster moves, subtle additions that could nonetheless have profound impacts as well.<\/p>\n

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