Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez fighting for his career
It’s becoming do or die time for Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez’s career, and he is responding to the adversity in a big way.
The clock has been ticking on Cesar Hernandez‘s time with the Phillies ever since Scott Kingery signed his long-term extension with the club last year. Kingery wound up as the starting shortstop for most of 2018, but the acquisition of Jean Segura during the offseason prevented that from happening again.
Hernandez remained the starting second baseman this year with Kingery returning to his original role as the utility infielder. Hernandez struggled while the rest of the lineup surged early on, posting just a .484 OPS in his 12 first games.
Meanwhile, Kingery teed off on the ball once he started playing, carrying a 1.176 OPS in 14 games. He began getting into the lineup, starting six games, but a hamstring strain has kept him off the field since April 19.
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Seeing Kingery’s success must have lit a fire under Hernandez as he turned things around. Since Kingery’s last game, Hernandez has a .371/.403/.532 line with 23 hits, seven doubles, one home run, and six runs batted in. In 67 plate appearances, he has struck out nine times and walked three.
Hernandez has only gotten better as the season has progressed. He has a 1.053 OPS in the last 14 days and a 1.367 OPS in the last seven. Since April 20, only Rhys Hoskins has a better OPS and wRC+.
Overall this year, Hernandez sports a .305/.363/.458 line, 13 extra-base hits, 18 runs scored, 14 runs batted in, a 118 wRC+, and 0.9 wins above replacement. He leads the Phillies in hits and stolen bases and is second in batting average to Jean Segura by one point.
Hernandez’s performance since Kingery’s injury has put the team in a real bind. Kingery was easily outperforming Hernandez to start the year, but Hernandez has completely turned things around since then.
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The last update on Kingery at the beginning of the month indicated he would be out until at least mid-May, meaning that he could be back shortly. This will present the team with a tough choice at second base with a surging Hernandez. If Hernandez was still struggling, Kingery would slide into the starting role, but that isn’t the case.
Whenever Kingery does return, he could split time with Hernandez while filling in at other positions as needed. When the trade deadline rolls around, Hernandez could become a hot commodity. He could be the main piece in a deal for a starting pitcher if the club thinks they need to add one.
Of course, there is no obligation to trade Hernandez. They could play out the year with him and Kingery and be more than okay. With just a year remaining before hitting free agency, an offseason move would be likely. Unlike last year, Hernandez would be coming off a strong year if things continue, making him a much more valuable asset.
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For now, Hernandez has to keep playing well, otherwise, he may lose his starting job. The time is now for him to maintain his major-league career.