The Los Angeles Dodgers shuffled some of their infield depth last month when they re-signed Santiago Espinal after he was designated for assignment and optioned Hyeseong Kim to Triple-A Oklahoma City as the corresponding roster move.
Kim was mired in a lengthy slump when he was sent down, batting only .174/.250/.174 with three RBI over his last 16 games at the Major League level.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes attributed Kim’s struggles to mechanical flaws in his swing, via Sonja Chen of MLB.com:
“There’s some stuff in his setup, and it started to drift to a little bit more, like what we saw last year,” general manager Brandon Gomes said when Kim was optioned. “Thought when he first came up, he’d done some really good work with our hitting guys down in Triple-A. So our guys are going to get together as a group and put together a plan and … hopefully get him back to where he was earlier in the season.”
Since returning to the Comets, Kim has gone 8-for-33 (.242) with one double and three RBI in eight games. Although the early results haven’t been promising, the 27-year-old is mainly focused on getting his swing right.
Kim has also continued to expand his versatility by playing second base, third base, shortstop and center field over the last week in Triple-A. The Dodgers place a high value on positional flexibility, so that could work in Kim’s favor for potentially rejoining the big league roster later this season.
Hyeseong Kim’s 2026 season
After starting the season with the Comets upon losing a position battle to Alex Freeland, Kim hit .259/.323/.328 with three doubles, one triple, one home run and 11 RBI across 43 games with the Dodgers. He has found more success in Oklahoma City, where he is batting .293/.373/.328 with two doubles and five RBI across 14 games.
Whether Kim returns to the Dodgers will depend on any potential future injuries that may arise later in the year. The 27-year-old has mostly played the middle infield for L.A. this season, but with Mookie Betts back and Tommy Edman close to making his 2026 debut, there won’t be many opportunities at those positions.
Kim still provides value with his glove and speed, so there may be chances for him to contribute as a pinch runner and defensive replacement.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
