Heading into last offseason, everyone expected the Atlanta Braves to do SOMETHING about their shortstop situation. No one wanted Nick Allen getting the lion's share of the plate appearances again, and the Braves did indeed address the position in trading for Mauricio Dubon and re-signing Ha-Seong Kim. While it is still early, it sure seems like neither of those moves is doing much to address the problem.
Dubon was expected to play a utility role with Kim being the starting shortstop, but Kim suffered a finger injury after an offseason fall derailed those plans. Dubon filled in ably while Kim was out, and recently, Kim was finally activated from the IL. Problem solved, right?
Well, not exactly. It is true that Kim got a clean bill of health, but he has done little since returning to quiet the growing concerns that the Braves have a problem at shortstop in both the short term and the long term.
Braves' shortstop situation is as unsettled as ever after Ha-Seong Kim's slow return
Now, Kim's lengthy downtime was always going to result in some rust, and it is possible that this is what we are looking at here. One encouraging sign, at least, is that his chase and whiff rates remain very good, but it is hard to get too excited about a guy recording one hit in his first 18 plate appearances. In fact, that slow start combined with lingering concerns about his previously injured shoulder limiting his arm strength does make one wonder if bringing Kim back could end up being an error.
For some, the solution if Kim is bad is straightforward: just use Dubon. Defensively, that would work fine, but that would do little to bring offense from that spot on the field for the Braves. Dubon started the season great, but has cooled off a lot and now has a .581 OPS in May, including a paltry .181 batting average. Not exactly ideal, but the idea that Dubon was an above-average hitter all of a sudden was optimistic at best from the beginning.
The Braves do have help on the way at shortstop in the minor leagues, but that help isn't particularly close to the majors. The most "advanced" option available is probably spring standout John Gil, but he is only at high-A, and he is also extremely streaky and inconsistent. After that, you have guys lower in the minors than that who might not stick at shortstop at all.
All of that said, Atlanta clearly has a shortstop issue that they need to resolve. That may have to come via a trade in the not-too-distant future, as waiting for their prospects to be ready is risky and will take a while, and the upcoming free agent shortstop class is not good. Regardless of how the Braves choose to handle the situation, it is probably a good idea that they start being proactive to address the obvious roster weakness.
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