Hyeseong Kim has made an immediate impact for the Los Angeles Dodgers since being recalled on May 3 to replace Tommy Edman when he went on the 10-day injured list.
At the time, Edman’s right ankle injury seemed like it would be a major loss for the club, and while having his bat in the lineup would still be beneficial, Kim has stepped up and has provided plenty of production.
In 31 at-bats thus far, Kim is hitting .452/.485/.581 with one home run, five RBI, nine runs scored and three stolen bases. Kim has 14 hits in his last 10 games with an at-bat, and over the past week, he’s been even better, hitting .600/.647/.867 in 15 at-bats.
Kim’s recent hot stretch also includes joining Dodgers franchise history books as the first rookie to reach base nine plate appearances in a row since Corey Seager in Sept. 2015, via David Vassegh of AM 570 L.A. Sports:
Hyeseong Kim is the first #Dodgers rookie to reach base in 9 straight PA since Corey Seager in Sep. 2015.
(H/T @Rick_K21)— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) May 17, 2025
Seager and Kim now share longest such streak by a Dodgers rookie since the team moved to Los Angeles in 1958.
Kim has seven hits and two walks in that span, which began on May 14 against the Athletics and ended May 16 in a loss to the Los Angeles Angels. He had three hits in the middle game, and two each in the others.
That also included Kim blasting his first career home run, which came on May 14 at Dodger Stadium. As a Dodgers fan growing up, Kim was even more thrilled to hit his first MLB long ball at home.
“I always dreamed of playing at Dodger Stadium,” Kim said through his interpreter. “I’m really happy, and I’m really thrilled right now.”
The utility man has been a spark plug for the Dodgers, earning praise from his teammates and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who referred to him as fearless and exciting.
The expectation was Kim would primarily fill a backup role with Edman out, and the Dodgers didn’t expect him to stick around at the MLB level for long, instead believing he was more of a long-term play for the club.
But with Edman and Teoscar Hernández both set to return to soon, Kim is giving the front office a difficult conversation and decision to make as they’ll face a roster crunch.
Kim is performing too well to send back down to Triple-A Oklahoma City, but to keep him, Chris Taylor or Miguel Rojas would need to be designated for assignment, which are both moves the Dodgers presumably would be hesitant to make, even if it appears to be an easy decision on the surface level.
Or if a player is dealing with an injury that would help alleviate the logjam as well.
Hyeseong Kim reworked swing
The Dodgers signed Kim to a three-year, $12.5 million contract during the offseason as he made the jump from the Korean Baseball Organization, but he spent Spring Training and the early parts of the year completely re-working his swing to unlock more power.
Kim’s speed, baserunning ability and defense were Major League-ready tools as a prospect, but the Dodgers also believed he had some untapped potential at the plate.
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