Hyeseong

Kim

The 27-year-old utilityman has been struggling badly at the plate over the past couple of weeks, so the Dodgers will give him some time in an everyday role at the Triple-A level to get himself back on track. Santiago Espinal returned from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take his place on the Dodgers’ active roster.

It seems like a possibility that Hernández will require a trip to the injured list, depending on the severity. The 33-year-old veteran slugger suffered the injury while attempting to beat out attempting to beat out a second-inning grounder. He was replaced in left field by Hyeseong Kim. There should be some additional clarity on his status prior to Friday’s series opener against the Phillies. There’s no shortage of options for the Dodgers in the upper minors with Ryan Ward and Alek Thomas representing in-house options already on the 40-man roster while prospect James Tibbs III might be a consideration as a potential solution. Tommy Edman (ankle) is at least another week or two away from returning from the injured list.

Since the Dodgers picked Kim over Alex Freeland when Mookie Betts returned on May 11, Kim is 6-for-34 with no extra-base hits and a 12/3 K/BB. It seemed like the Dodgers’ plan was to cut Santiago Espinal to make room for Kiké Hernández this week, but sending down Kim is a possibility.

With Mookie Betts (oblique) off the injured list, the Dodgers needed to make a move. This comes as a bit of a surprise since Freeland has been playing mostly second base with Betts sidelined, while Hyeseong Kim has been at shortstop. It seems that the Dodgers will move Kim over to second base when Betts returns. Kim has been hitting better, slashing .289/.353/.395 in 29 games with one home run, eight RBI, and five steals. He should remain deep league relevant if he continues to get starts.

Hitting one spot ahead of him, Hyeseong Kim reached on catcher’s interference once but struck out his other three times up. One of Freeland or Kim will head back to Triple-A on Monday when Mookie Betts comes off the IL. Kim has a 102-point advantage in OPS right now, so he might be the better bet to stay. However, the one kept now still figures to lose his spot to Enrique Hernández before too long.

Kim has recorded back-to-back multi-hit performances that also include a stolen base, which gives him five thefts in just 16 games this season. The 27-year-old has struggled to carve out a full-time role in Los Angeles, but he’s shown he can be an impactful fantasy contributor in deeper mixed leagues with regular playing time. It’s a mystery how his role will shake out once Mookie Betts (oblique) and Tommy Edman (ankle) are back in a few weeks, but he’s a sneaky steals source in the meantime.

Kim hasn’t played enough to amass much fantasy value, but he is 11-for-34 with a homer and four steals and four tries in his limited action. His exit velocity numbers remain thoroughly mediocre, particularly for someone who does plenty of striking out. He might be somewhat useful until Mookie Betts is activated, but it’s going to be difficult for him to stay in the lineup if the Dodgers get healthy.

The 27-year-old speedster drew a two-out walk off of Tomoyuki Sugano in the third inning and swiped second base but was left stranded there. He then singled in the fifth and again pilfered second but the Dodgers couldn’t cash him in. For the season, he’s now slashing .286/.407/.476 with a homer, three RBI and three stolen bases in his first 27 plate appearances. If he continues to see regular action while Mookie Betts is sidelined, Kim’s speed makes him a viable option in deeper mixed leagues.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts continues mixing things up with Mookie Betts (oblique) on the injured list, moving Hernández up to the cleanup spot to face Mets southpaw David Peterson. Miguel Rojas and Santiago Espinal are also on the lineup card with lefties Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland riding the bench.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Rojas was scratched to tend to a family matter. Hyeseong Kim takes over at shortstop and will bat eighth in his place.