Sunday, March 22, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

On Sunday, the Los Angeles Dodgers made a surprising roster move. After participating in the World Baseball Classic for Team South Korea, Hyeseong Kim, who had an excellent spring offensively, was optioned to Triple-A, Oklahoma City.

While Tommy Erdman is still recovering from offseason ankle surgery, Alex Freeland will platoon with veteran infielder Miguel Rojas at second base. Freeland played second base well defensively but didn’t hit well this spring.

In 2025, Freeland made his major league debut. He played in 29 games and had a .190 batting average with 2 home runs. This spring, he had a .117 batting average in 18 games.

Kim can play at second base, shortstop, and center field. He hit over .400 this spring and brings blazing speed though he didn’t walk as much as the Dodgers would like to see. He needs regular at-bats, and the Dodgers don’t have a clear role for him at the major league level.

The emergence of Santiago Espinal took away a roster spot from Kim even though he plays the corner spots on the infield. He hasn’t hit well at the major league level. He had a great spring.

Dave Roberts said if Kim were around the Dodger coaches this spring, he probably would have made the team. That feels unfair, particularly given that  Kim asked permission to participate in the WBC. However, Kim will be in Los Angeles before May.