Los Angeles Dodgers star Kike Hernández admitted that even decorated professional athletes find it harder to stay in shape as they get older — especially when those late night snacks come calling.
The 34-year-old Hernández is currently in the midst of his 12th Major League Baseball season, his ninth overall with the Dodgers.
Since being drafted by the Houston Astros in 2009, Hernández has been forced to learn the hard way that he’s not as young and spry as he once was.
“I try to stay consistent, but at the same time you have to change your habits,” Hernández exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting his partnership with the American Optometric Association. “The late night snacks and things like that, they start sending receipts.”
He continued, “I gotta do a bit more stretching than I used to do, some more activation. A couple of years ago, I used to just show up and go to the weight room and start lifting without even stretching or activating or anything like that. These days, I do that and I’m probably going to tweak something that’s going to linger for a few weeks. So, things change as far as what you do in order to prepare to play.”
The Dodgers need Hernández in the best shape his 34-year-old body can be in as they prepare for the MLB playoffs and a chance to defend their 2024 World Series title.
“Back in my younger days, I was like the Energizer bunny,” Hernández recalled. “I would just take an hour break before the game and I was ready to go for game time. Now, if I do what I did when I was in my mid-20s, the hour break is not enough before the game. I’m still gonna be pretty tired before the game. But you go through things and you learn things.”
Hernández also gets plenty of exercise at home these days, where he and his wife, Mariana Vicente Hernández, are parents to daughter Penélope, 4. In August, the couple announced they are currently expecting their second baby, a boy.
“It’s very different,” Hernández told Us about preparing to be a father for the second time. “You know, the first time we were going through COVID and we were quarantining during the pregnancy. We really didn’t have anything to worry about other than looking ahead. I was reading books like ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’ father’s edition and things like that. But now I have an idea of what to expect.”
He continued, “But during the season it’s different. You try to stay present while you’re at home and just be the husband and be the dad, but it’s hard at the same time having to leave every morning and trying to switch gears from dad and husband to player, teammate and competitor. The sole focus of my life right now is just not just my upcoming baby, but I also have to somewhat focus on my job.”
Hernández is able to focus on baseball thanks to his partnership with the American Optometric Association (AOA).
As the nation’s leading authority and advocate for quality eye health care, the AOA has teamed up with Hernández as part of their multi-year Eye Deserve More campaign, which encourages Americans to prioritize maintaining their eye health as an essential part of their health and wellbeing.
“Last year, I went through some struggles at the beginning of the season,” Hernández said. “I was talking to one of my good friends in baseball and he told me randomly, ‘Have you gotten your eyes checked?’ And I was like, ‘Ah, I did it in Spring Training, but it was very basic.’ And he was like, ‘No man, you gotta go see an optometrist and get an eye exam.’”
Hernández continued, “Sure enough, I went to an optometrist and it turned out I had astigmatism in my right eye. It went from not knowing if I knew how to hit anymore, to, ‘Shoot, I just couldn’t really see the ball very well.’ Once I started wearing glasses, my season turned around and I was obviously able to become a key part of our championship run.”