The Los Angeles Dodgers optioned Hyeseong Kim to Triple-A Oklahoma City amid his continued slump, and it came as the club re-signed Santiago Espinal.
The Dodgers planned on sending down Kim for Alex Freeland earlier in the week, but Kiké Hernández’s left oblique injury earned him some extra time on the roster before the proverbial clock struck midnight Friday.
“We optioned him just to kind of get Hyeseong back on track, to get some regular at-bats,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained. “We’re going to give Alex Freeland a little bit more runway at second base.”
Kim previously earned the second base job over Freeland when Mookie Betts returned from the injured list. Kim had a hot start to his season upon getting recalled, but has since regressed, hitting .186/.250/.186 over his last 15 games.
“I think his swing has changed,” Roberts said. “I think he’s losing his legs a little bit, I think that it’s coming around the ball a little bit. There’s a lot more swing-and-miss than there was early. I think he is just playing, with my eyes, a little bit more tentative, and not as free and easy as he was in some parts of last year and early on.
“So I think that just giving him back to playing every day, a little bit less of a hot box, he’ll perform back to where he can and will. So that’s kind of what we’re hoping for.”
Kim’s struggles extend past his last 15 games as well. Over his last 30, he’s only hitting .236 with a .551 on-base plus slugging. That has dropped him to an overall line of .259 with a .651 OPS.
Kim provides value with his glove and speed, but he’s been unable to consistently put together quality at-bats at the Major League level.
Kim started hot last season as well before falling off significantly and posting some of the worst offensive numbers in baseball. From June through the season’s end in 2025, Kim hit just .224/.256/.302 in 50 games.
His offensive profile is part of the reason Kim did not sign a more lucrative contract when coming over from Korea, and his lack of growth at the plate has cost him time on the MLB roster.
Dodgers set goal for Hyeseong Kim-A
While at Triple-A, Roberts wants Kim to focus on being more dynamic at the plate and mixing in some bunting to his game.
“I wouldn’t say disappointing,” Roberts said of results at the Major League level. “And that’s a little of what I talked to him about, where I think he should be able to bunt and be more dynamic.
“Unfortunately, it just hasn’t happened right now. But the thought is that it’ll happen with some more playing time. But yeah, Kim on the roster adds a different dynamic to our club.”
Kim should get more opportunities with the Dodgers this season, but whether it comes as a pinch-runner and defensive substitute or in a more full-time role will depend on how he progresses at the plate.
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