Report: Red Sox, Enrique Hernandez agree to 1-year extension

The Boston Red Sox and center fielder Enrique Hernandez agreed to a one-year, $10 million contract extension for next year, ESPN and the Springfield (Mass.) Republican reported Monday night.

Hernandez, 31, was a utility man before arriving last year in Boston, where he settled in as the regular center fielder. He would have been a free agent following the year had he and the team not agreed to a new pact.

He hit .250 with 20 homers, one off his career high, and 60 RBIs in the 2021 regular season, then starred in the postseason, batting .408 (20-for-49) with five homers and nine RBIs.

This year, Hernandez is hitting just .219 with six homers and 37 RBIs in 68 games. He was sidelined from June 8-Aug. 15 due to a right hip injury.

Hernandez broke into the major leagues in 2014 with brief stints for the Houston Astros and Miami Marlins that year. He spent the next six seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers before signing a two-year, $14 million free agent contract with Boston ahead of the 2021 season.

In 892 career games, Hernandez has a .240 average, a .314 on-base percentage, a .422 slugging percentage, 97 homers and 324 RBIs.

He went 0-for-4 on Monday as the Red Sox lost 4-3 to the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla., ending Boston's five-game winning streak.