Despite suffering what felt like an endless stream of injuries during the beginning of spring training, the Atlanta Braves have not only navigated these losses through the first 30 games, they've dominated.
Now, a month into the season, the Braves injured players are starting to get healthy. While the club is no doubt excited about Spencer Strider and Sean Murphy's returns, the player they might be the most excited about returning is shortstop Ha-Seong Kim.
Ha-Seong Kim begins rehab at a perfect time for the Braves
The Braves have gotten off to an ideal start to their 2026 season, leading MLB in runs scored and allowing the third-fewest runs in baseball through their first 30 games. However, that doesn't mean that the club isn't in need of reinforcements.
While Mauricio Dubón has filled in admirably for the injured Kim at shortstop, slashing .282/.327/.437 with a 113 wRC+, the utility player's offense production has slowed since the first two weeks of the season. Since the start of the Miami series on April 13, Dubón has only slashed .196/.275/.283.
Of course, the biggest appeal of Dubón is his flexibility around the diamond. While new manager Walt Weiss has moved Dubón around the diamond a bit this season, his 25 games at shortstop quadruple the amount of games he's played anywhere else so far this season.
In fact, this season already accounts for the second-most games played at shortstop in a single season for Dubón. His current career-high in games at short came last year for Houston, when he played 33 games at short.
With Kim starting his rehab, his return should only be a few weeks away. Once he returns, Atlanta will have much more flexibility to move Dubón around the diamond, including allowing him to get more starts in left field. With Mike Yastrzemski struggling to start the season, Kim's return could give Walt Weiss more opportunities to play his matchups beyond just righty-lefty splits.
Kim's return could also help the Braves core get more rest down the stretch. In addition to Dubón's versatility, the Braves bench as a whole is simply stronger across the board. Atlanta has five players who have played every single game this year, including the struggling Austin Riley.
When Kim returns, he'll not only provide a slight bump in offense at shortstop, but he'll also give the Braves more flexibility to keep the rest of the roster fresh going forward.
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