Enjoying a well-timed off day, the Atlanta Braves enter April 27 holding the best record in Major League Baseball. Encouragingly, the positive developments extend beyond their performance on the field. Several notable injury updates have emerged in recent days, and on Monday morning, Braves reporter Grant McAuley outlined a contingency plan for shortstop Ha-Seong Kim to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Columbus on Tuesday.
Bringing back Ha-Seong Kim was one of Alex Anthopoulos’ more significant offseason acquisitions, but an unfortunate slip on the ice this winter led to surgery on Kim’s right hand and delayed his 2026 debut. Initial projections placed his return closer to June; however, his progression to a late-April rehab assignment suggests his timeline could be accelerating beyond those early expectations.
#Braves SS Ha-Seong Kim will join Double-A Columbus to begin a rehab assignment this week. They're off today and open 3-game series on Tuesday.
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) April 27, 2026
Ha-Seong Kim set to begin rehab assignment on Tuesday, Braves close to adding a key piece in the near future
Manager Walt Weiss recently addressed the potential timeline for a return of Spencer Strider on Sunday afternoon, and the next update from Atlanta's manager could just as easily include clarity on Kim as well.
Kim appeared in 24 games for the Braves last season, slashing .253/.316/.368. Atlanta brought him back on a one-year, $20 million deal with the expectation that he would stabilize shortstop and provide a higher floor than the organization has received at the position in recent seasons.
Thankfully, utility man Mauricio Dubón has handled the bulk of the shortstop duties to open the 2026 season and has done so with strong production at the plate. Through 27 games, Dubón is slashing .283/.330/.434 with a 113 wRC+ and ranks fifth on the team with a 0.8 fWAR.
Once Kim returns to the lineup, Dubón is still expected to maintain a consistent role given his defensive versatility, which allows him to handle every position on the field outside of catcher. Nonetheless, the latest update on Kim is an encouraging development, and as the week progresses, more concrete details regarding the timeline for his 2026 debut should emerge.
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