Boston Red Sox infielder Kiké Hernandez believes team should be contending: "I don't think this is an organization that should settle for last place"

Boston Red Sox infielder/utility man Enrique "Kiké" Hernandez believes the team needs to be getting themselves back into contention as soon as possible.

"I don't think this is an organization that should settle for last place," Hernandez told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. "We are an organization that should be competing year in and year out, and we need to find a way to get back into that winning mentality."

The Red Sox placed dead last in the American League Central in 2022 with a record of 78-84. It was the fourth time in the past 10 that the team finished below .500.

Of course, the Boston Red Sox have also won two World Series titles in the past decade and made the playoffs five times in 10 years.

Hernandez believes that the team needs to be aspiring to make the postseason more often than it misses out.

Speier reported that Hernandez's value to the team goes beyond what the 31-year-old provides on the field. In his third season with the Boston Red Sox after six seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as spells with the Houston Astros and Miami Marlins early in his big league career.

Hernandez was instrumental in bringing his former Dodgers teammate, third baseman/designated hitter Justin Turner, to Boston as a free agent this winter.

"Kiké," Turner told Speier of his former Dodgers and now-Red Sox teammate, "is always in the middle of everything."

Hernandez said that he recognized his need to be a bigger off-field influence to the team in the wake of Boston losing shortstop Xander Bogaerts to the San Diego Padres via free agency.

"Losing Xander, we’re losing a big, big boy in the clubhouse," Hernandez said. "I understand that a lot more responsibility falls on my shoulders."

Hernandez a valuable member of Boston Red Sox roster

Enrique Hernandez of the Boston Red Sox throws out Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Hernandez is a top defensive player who has played all over the field. He has played every position on the diamond, except for catcher – having logged one-third of an inning on the mound while a member of the Dodgers.

Offensively, he is just a .239 career hitter. However, defensively, through playing eight of nine positions, he carried a lifetime fielding percentage of .982 and commits just one error per 25 games played during his time in the majors.