Los Angeles Dodgers' Kim Hye-seong will start in the minor leagues for a second consecutive year.
The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on the 23rd (Korean time) that they are sending Kim Hye-seong to the Triple-A Oklahoma City club. Shocking news. Kim Hye-seong hit in the .400s during spring training, but the manager thought differently.
Manager Dave Roberts said, "I judged that Kim Hye-seong getting daily playing time in the minors would be a bigger opportunity. He will rotate between second base, center field and shortstop there and come to the plate every day. I hope he can continue the swing correction work he is currently undergoing perfectly."
He will open the season in the minor leagues for a second straight year. Kim Hye-seong reached the major leagues last year through posting, signing a 3+2-year deal with the Dodgers worth up to $22 million (about 33.1 billion won). In the first spring training he played 15 games and hit .0207 (29 at-bats, 6 hits) with 1 home run, 3 RBIs, 6 runs and 2 stolen bases, posting an OPS of .613, and started the season in the minors. He was called up to the big leagues in May and played 71 games.
In his debut big league season he hit .280 (161 at-bats, 45 hits) with 3 home runs, 17 RBIs, 19 runs and 13 stolen bases, with an OPS of .699. Kim Hye-seong made his first postseason appearance and became part of the Dodgers' back-to-back World Series title team.
He gained significant experience in his first season, and his hitting looked good in this year's spring training. In the four games before joining the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), he hit .462 with 1 home run and 5 RBIs, swinging a hot bat.
In the WBC he hit .083 in four games and struggled, but after returning to his club he hit .357 with 1 RBI and a .438 on-base percentage in five games, performing well in spring training. He hit .047 with 1 home run and 6 RBIs in nine games this year.
Despite a batting average in the .400s, Roberts demoted him to the minors. Meanwhile, Alex Verlander's 18 spring training appearances produced a .116 average with 1 home run and 7 RBIs, but Alex Verland (Alex Verdugo? — preserve name as in original) has been given an opportunity.
Roberts recently said in an interview, "We haven't seen enough of Kim Hye-seong. Verland may appear to lack obvious results, but he has shown good plate appearances."
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