The Los Angeles Dodgers’ outfield situation remains as muddled as it was prior to the trade deadline, which is significant with Hyeseong Kim starting in left field for Triple-A Oklahoma City this past Thursday.
Michael Conforto had an uptick in production during July, hitting .273/.342/.485 with five doubles and three home runs in 66 at-bats. But he has regressed to the mean this month, leaving a void in left field and the Dodgers’ lineup.
Alex Call was the only move the Dodgers made at the trade deadline to fortify their outfield, but his role is that of a fourth outfielder. He has been an asset for the Dodgers of late, but Call’s potential impact is limited because of his platoon spilts.
The Dodgers have started Call against right-handed pitchers three times since the trade, to only marginal success. He’s gone 2-for-13 with four walks in games started by a right-hander.
The Dodgers will have more options to replace Conforto as a starter once their injured players get healthy, and that could possibly include Kim.
“We obviously know Hyeseong can play second base, we know he can play shortstop. Just seeing him out in left field, it potentially gives us a little bit more options,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained.
The rookie has appeared in 16 games in center field this season, but has not played left field since 2020 in the KBO. As it stands now, this decision does not necessarily mean that the Dodgers are asking Kim to be capable of playing another position.
In the organization’s eyes, it seems to be a proactive measure of some sort.
“Playing left field is something he hasn’t done in a while, so it’s to get some repetitions there,” Roberts said.
Dodgers not moving Teoscar Hernández to left field
The Dodgers have multiple decisions to make regarding their outfield configuration for the final month of the regular season and heading into the playoffs.
While they are at least partially exploring moving Kim to left field, building the outfield around Tommy Edman in center field seems to be the most likely option.
This scenario also includes the possibility of Teoscar Hernández moving to left field, which would put Andy Pages in right field, but the Dodgers are not yet ready to commit to that decision.
The more likely outcome may be Pages sliding over to left field and Hernández remaining in right.
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