Hyeseong Kim is making the jump to Major League Baseball after signing a three-year, $12.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers during the offseason.
The 26-year-old appeared poised to open the 2025 season as the Dodgers’ primary second baseman after Gavin Lux was traded to the Cincinnati Reds.
However, Kim has struggled this spring to the tune of a .143/.250/.386 batting line with one home run and eight strikeouts in 21 at-bats.
The Dodgers aren’t overly concerned with Kim’s early struggles at the plate and understand that adjusting to a new league takes time.
“Obviously there’s always some learning curve,” general manager Brandon Gomes recently said. “It’s not always linear, so there could be some learning curve. But we’re perfectly fine with that, knowing that those other pieces that are in play are really strong.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts suggested Kim could begin the year with Triple-A Oklahoma City, a move that would impact the rest of the roster.
Tommy Edman could emerge as the team’s starter at second base, while Andy Pages and potentially James Outman sharing time in center field.
Kim does not have the right to reject being optioned to the Minors, a clause that was likely excluded from his contract to give the Dodgers flexibility in managing their depth throughout the season.
Hyeseong Kim playing multiple positions
Although Kim is primarily a middle infielder, the Dodgers have been testing his versatility this spring by playing him at shortstop and center field as well.
“I think the hope is obviously just to kind of see what he can do offensively, and then I think we’ve got a lot of different options,” Roberts said earlier in Spring Training.
“We know that he can play second base. Obviously, with James and Andy competing out there in center field, Tommy can play center field as well, but just to have another left-handed option who can play center field—there’s certainly not a lot of downside to it.
“And obviously, getting him some repetitions at shortstop as well. The floor is, we know he can play second base, but if we can experiment and see his comfort level at other spots, that only helps us.”
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