Teoscar Hernández re-signs with World Series champion Dodgers and will be in right field next season

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Teoscar Hernández will be in right field for the Los Angeles Dodgers next season when the World Series champions try to defend their title.

The outfielder was at Dodger Stadium on Friday after agreeing to rejoin the team on a $66 million, three-year contract.

“I had my mind clear that I wanted to come back and I was going to do anything in my power to make it work and be back with the Dodgers,” Hernández said.

He played last season on a $23.5 million, one-year deal and proved his value by becoming an All-Star and winning the Home Run Derby along with a third career Silver Slugger, which earned him a $1 million bonus. He capped it all by helping the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in the World Series.

Hernández said he had offers from other teams that would have gotten him an additional $5 million to $6 million.

“For me, money wasn't an issue,” he said.

He called the Dodgers “different” than other teams.

“They give me the confidence. I didn’t get that really in other places,” Hernández said. “They trust me in everything that I can give them. That was one of the biggest things for me, that pushed me to do the best job that I can do in a Dodgers uniform.”

Manager Dave Roberts welcomed the return of Hernández.

“It’s not just about getting the most talented players. You’ve got to be good on the field and you’ve got to play the game a certain way,” he said. “What that does is it makes people around you better, it holds teammates accountable. For us, Teo checked every single box.”

Hernández hit a career-high 33 home runs and drove in 99 runs last season. The 32-year-old hit .272 in 154 games.

“He always put the team first and you could see that there was a real love of the game that he brought to the field each and every day,” general manager Brandon Gomes said. “I do think because of the way he plays with such passion and joy, when those big moments came up, it was something that he really cherished and was able to put the team first and slow the heartbeat down and do whatever was needed in that situation.”

Hernández will be in right field with Mookie Betts moving back to shortstop. Newcomer Michael Conforto will be in left.

Hernández was embraced by Dodgers fans and their support didn't go unnoticed.

“I appreciate since the first day that I got here Dodgers fans were cheering for me,” he said. “They were giving me the support that I need to have the season that I have last year. When you have that support as a player, you have to give 110 percent every day.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández watches his two-run home run against the New York Yankees during the third inning in Game 2 of the baseball World Series, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)

FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández is high-fived in the dugout after scoring on a sacrifice fly ball by Gavin Lux during the second inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)

BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike last year while inside the militant group's war operations room, according to new details Sunday disclosed by a senior Hezbollah official.

A series of Israeli airstrikes flattened several buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sept. 27, 2024, killing Nasrallah. The Lebanese Health Ministry said six people died. According to news reports, Nasrallah and other senior officials were meeting underground.

The assassination of Nasrallah, who had led Hezbollah for 32 years, turned months of low-level strikes between Israel and the militants into all-out war that battered much of southern and eastern Lebanon for two months until a U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect Nov. 27.

“His Eminence (Hassan Nasrallah) used to lead the battle and war from this location,” top Hezbollah security official Wafiq Safa told a news conference Sunday near near the site where Nasrallah was killed. He said Nasrallah died in the war operations room. He did not offer other details.

Lebanese media had reported that Safa was a target of Israeli airstrikes in central Beirut before the ceasefire but appeared unscathed.

During the first phase of the ceasefire, Hezbollah is supposed to move its fighters, weapons and infrastructure away from southern Lebanon north of the Litani River, while Israeli troops that invaded southern Lebanon need to withdraw all within 60 days. Lebanese army soldiers are to deploy in large numbers and alongside United Nations peacekeepers be the sole armed presence in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon and Hezbollah have been critical of ongoing Israeli strikes and overflights across the country and for only withdrawing from two of dozens of Lebanese villages it controls. Israel says that the Lebanese military has not done its share in dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure.

Hezbollah’s current leader Naim Kassem in a televised address Saturday warned that its fighters could strike Israel if its troops don’t leave the south by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Israel’s defense minister Israel Katz echoed similar sentiments should Hezbollah's militants not head north of the Litani River and their infrastructure remain intact.

“If this condition is not met, there will be no agreement, and Israel will be forced to act on its own to ensure the safe return of the residents of (Israel’s) north to their homes,” he said.

Safa said that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who negotiated the ceasefire deal with Washington, told Hezbollah that the government will meet with U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein soon. “And in light of what happens, then there will be a position,” said Safa.

Hochstein had led the shuttle diplomacy efforts to reach the fragile truce.

A woman holds up a poster of the slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during a ceremony marking death anniversary of the late commander of the Iran's Revolutionary Guard expeditionary Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone attack in 2020, at the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)