Ha-Seong Kim proved himself a Gold-Glove caliber shortstop/second baseman with the Padres. He would have entered free agency looking for a long-term deal in 2024, but an injury ended his season early, and he took a pillow contract with Tampa. That course of events proved to work out pretty well for the Atlanta Braves, albeit with some bumps along the way.
Kim didn’t return to the majors until July and struggled at the plate. The Rays placed him on waivers in September, and the Braves claimed Kim, hoping he’d forego his player option for free agency and return to the club for 2026.
Braves offseason gamble on Ha-Seong Kim is slowly being rewarded as he approaches rehab assignment
Kim instead chose free agency, but returned to the Braves on a one-year, $20 million deal in December. A month later, the club’s new shortstop required surgery due to a non-baseball-related injury. Injury updates were few, and the timeline for his return remained a vague four to five months, until today’s X-message from Mark Bowman.
"Ha-Seong Kim has been taking live BP, and he’s scheduled to play in a sim game on Thursday. He could be ready to begin a rehab assignment within the next week or two."Mark Bowman
While still not specific, and barring a setback, the tone of the news points to his return in the first or second week of June.
In Kim’s absence, the Braves turned to Mauricio Dubón as their primary shortstop. Dubón has provided much better defense than expected, and is currently batting .319/.365/.493/.858, but the return of Kim would allow him to return to the super-utility role that earned him a Gold Glove with Houston.
That's a Wrap
Kim’s a glove-first shortstop; in his best season at the plate (2023), Kim batted only .260/.351/.398, and an average year before his first 2024 injury saw him post a .242/.326/.380. If Kim struggles, the Braves won’t be afraid of inserting Dubon.
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