Hernandez opted out of his minor-league contract with the Mariners on Thursday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Hernandez signed a minor-league contract with Seattle right before the start of the season and has yet to play in the big leagues this year. The 33-year-old second baseman is slashing .272/.436/.336 over 164 plate appearances in Triple-A.
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Mariners' Cesar Hernandez: Gets MiLB deal from Seattle
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Hernandez signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Friday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.
After failing to make the cut for the Tigers' MLB roster, Hernandez was released by Detroit on Tuesday. It's only a minor-league deal for the 32-year-old infielder, so he will have to prove himself in Triple-A before he can work his way back to the majors.
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Cesar Hernandez: Cut loose by Detoirt
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The Tigers released Hernandez on Tuesday.
Hernandez had the ability to request his release if not on the major-league roster and he did just that. The veteran infielder will now look for a gig elsewhere, although it's possible he might have to go to the minor leagues first.
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Tigers' Cesar Hernandez: Reassigned to minor-league camp
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The Tigers reassigned Hernandez to minor-league camp Monday.
Hernandez was vying for a bench spot with the Tigers after signing as a non-roster invite in January, and while he got off to a strong start in the Grapefruit League, he ended it going 2-for-23 with six strikeouts over his final at-bats in Florida. Hernandez has the ability to opt-out of his contract, and there's a good chance he'll test free agency rather than reporting to Triple-A Toledo.
Hernandez has looked good this spring and could earn an Opening Day bench role with the Tigers, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
The 32-year-old struggled some the last two seasons, batting below .250 each year with a sub-.700 OPS, but he is a career .267 hitter who offers some defensive versatility. Hernandez is with the Tigers on a minor-league deal and likely won't have a huge role if he makes the club, though he could earn more playing time if other players go down with injuries.
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Tigers' Cesar Hernandez: Gets chance with Detroit
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Hernandez agreed Wednesday with the Tigers on a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to MLB spring training, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
After signing a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Nationals last season, Hernandez had to settle for a minor-league deal on the open market this winter while his performance took a major step back in 2022. On the heels of a 21-home run campaign in 2021 while he split time with the White Sox and Guardians, Hernandez left the yard just once this past season, despite logging 617 plate appearances. The 32-year-old still displayed a high-contact approach at the plate and flashed some speed (10 stolen bases in 14 attempts), so he could have a fair chance at breaking camp with the Tigers as a utility infielder.
Hernandez went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Mets.
The steal was his 10th of the year, the first time he's reached double digits in that category since 2018. Hernandez will be a free agent this offseason, but the 32-year-old won't be in high demand given his .248/.311/.318 slash line through 146 games with only one homer, 34 RBI and 63 runs.
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Nationals' Cesar Hernandez: Picks up more playing time
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Hernandez will start in left field and bat sixth in Monday's game against the Mets.
Hernandez will make his third consecutive start after going 3-for-5 with a double and a walk over the final two games of the Nationals' series with the Phillies over the weekend. He appears to have supplanted Alex Call as the Nats' preferred option in left field.
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Nationals' Cesar Hernandez: Held out Tuesday
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Hernandez is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Orioles.
Hernandez went 14-for-45 (.311) over his last 13 games, but he will get a day off after making five straight starts. Hernandez has most frequently manned the hot corner of late, but Ildemaro Vargas will handle those duties Tuesday.
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Nationals' Cesar Hernandez: Accounts for five runs Thursday
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Hernandez went 3-for-4 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's win over the Cardinals.
Hernandez continues to produce at the dish as he filled the stat sheet Thursday. He is now eight for his last 16 with six RBI as he looks to finish the season on a high note. The three-hit effort improved his slash line to .252/.315/.327 on the season.
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Nationals' Cesar Hernandez: Held out Tuesday
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Hernandez is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cardinals.
Hernandez reached base eight times over his last four games, but manager Dave Martinez wanted to get Alex Call in the lineup against a left-handed starter, so he will get the nod in left field and Hernandez -- who started in that spot the last three days -- will open the contest on the bench.
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Nationals' Cesar Hernandez: Getting regular work in left field
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Hernandez will start in left field and bat sixth in Monday's game against the Cardinals, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Hernandez initially appeared to be ticketed for a utility role when Luis Garcia returned from the injured list Aug. 26 and took over as the Nationals' everyday second baseman, but Hernandez has seemingly found a home in left field. He'll occupy the position for the third game in a row after he went 2-for-5 with a home run and two walks while starting in the final two games of the Nats' weekend series with the Mets.
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Nationals' Cesar Hernandez: First long ball of 2022
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Hernandez went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run and two walks in Sunday's 7-1 victory over the Mets.
It took the veteran 546 plate appearances, but Hernandez finally launched his first homer of the season in the fifth inning, a two-run shot which extended the Nationals' lead to six runs. Sunday was also Hernandez's second start in left field, as manager Dave Martinez continues finding creative ways to fit all three of Hernandez, Luis Garcia and recent call-up CJ Abrams, in the lineup. Hernandez is now slashing .245/.309/.316 on the campaign.
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Nationals' Cesar Hernandez: Steps out of lineup
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Hernandez is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Reds, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
The 32-year-old has started 121 of 125 games at second base for the Nationals this year, but he'll now shift to a utility role with CJ Abrams up from the minors and Luis Garcia (groin) back from the injured list. Hernandez has a .245/.305/.309 slash line with zero home runs, 26 RBI and eight stolen bases in 531 plate appearances this season.
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Nationals' Cesar Hernandez: Records eighth steal
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Hernandez went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 6-3 win over the Padres.
Hernandez's contributions to the offense came in the fourth inning. The second baseman has hit safely in seven straight games, going 11-for-30 (.367) in that span. He's logged four of his eight steals this year in August, and he's added a .247/.307/.313 slash line with no home runs, 26 RBI, 55 runs scored, 25 doubles and three triples through 515 plate appearances.
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Nationals' Cesar Hernandez: Three more hits Tuesday
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Hernandez went 3-for-5 with two doubles and one run scored in Tuesday's extra-innings loss to the Cubs.
Hernandez's three hits Tuesday extend his hitting streak to four games as he is heating up at the dish and is hitting .378 since Aug. 7. Despite the streak, he has scored only two runs and recorded just three extra-base hits in that stretch.
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Nationals' Cesar Hernandez: Swipes fifth bag
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Hernandez went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Sunday's 13-1 loss to Philadelphia.
Hernandez singled and stole a base in the third inning before adding an RBI base hit in the fifth. Since his last multi-hit game July 25, the veteran infielder had been stuck in a 6-for-36 (.167) slump over his previous 11 contests. With his first three-hit game since May, Hernandez improved his season slash line to .241/.305/.307.
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Nationals' Cesar Hernandez: Days at keystone numbered
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Hernandez is expected to lose his starting job at second base once the Nationals call up CJ Abrams from Triple-A Rochester, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Hernandez surprisingly wasn't moved at the trade deadline, but a .613 OPS -- his worst mark since becoming a full-time player in 2015 -- and zero home runs through 104 games left little market for his services. The 32-year-old does not have a future on a rebuilding Washington roster, and Abrams would seem to have little left to prove in the minors, slashing .314/.364/.507 in 151 plate appearances for Triple-A El Paso between stints in the big leagues with the Padres before being part of the massive haul the Nats received for Juan Soto. Once Abrams makes his Washington debut, he's expected to bump Luis Garcia to the keystone, and Hernandez would likely find himself relegated to a bench role or even get waived entirely.
