The Los Angeles Dodgers are recalling infielder Hyeseong Kim from Triple-A Oklahoma City, according to The Athletic. The Dodgers haven’t officially announced his promotion or a corresponding move, but it stands to reason his recall may be related to Tommy Edman missing consecutive games with an injured right ankle.
The Dodgers won’t continue their series with the Atlanta Braves until Saturday night, so an announcement ought to come later in the day.
When Kim enters a game, he’ll be making his big-league debut. That milestone will occur roughly four months after he joined the Dodgers on a multi-year pact worth $12.5 million guaranteed. Kim had previously spent his professional career within the Korea Baseball Organization league.
Kim, 26, had hit .257/.323/.478 with five home runs and 13 stolen bases (on 13 tries) over the course of 27 Triple-A games. That slugging percentage is notable, particularly because power was identified as a weakness in his game. To wit, Kim homered just 11 times last season, clearing double-digits for the first time en route to establishing a new personal career-high.
Yet Kim’s ball-tracking data suggests he’s not suddenly possessing big-time strength. His average exit velocity at Triple-A was just 87.3 mph, and he cleared the 95 mph threshold on just 31.3% of his batted balls. Additionally, he maxed out at 106.3 mph. For reference, that figure would rank 237th out of 260 qualifying big-league hitters.
Concerningly, Kim had struck out in 24.4% of his plate appearances. He had punched out in around 11% of his trips to the plate the last two years in South Korea. Of course, Kim is still getting acclimated to a new country and a new league, so it’s understandable if he’s experiencing some growing pains. Besides, he’s an intriguing player thanks to his speed and defensive versatility. He had already recorded seven or more starts at second base, shortstop, and center field.
The Dodgers entered Saturday with a 22-10 record on the season, putting them in first place of the National League West.
This news was originally published on this post .
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