Dodgers' Hyeseong Kim Knows His Roster Spot Could Be in Jeopardy
The Los Angeles Dodgers could once again have a tough roster decision to make in the coming weeks.
Veteran utility man Tommy Edman is beginning a rehab assignment at Triple-A on Tuesday, meaning he should return within the next month. Edman has been recovering from offseason ankle surgery, and is very likely to take over as the everyday second baseman for the Dodgers once he comes back.
This means that young infielder Hyeseong Kim's spot on the roster could be in jeopardy. Kim understands the situation that he is currently in, but he's only focused on doing his job to produce in the best way he can.
"It's my job to produce, so I'm always focused on producing numbers," Kim said recently. "Given the [roster] situation, I'm not trying to think about it too much. Just keep working hard, and keep producing as best I can."
Kim originally came up this year to replace Mookie Betts when he suffered an oblique injury, but he played so well that the Dodgers kept him on the roster when Betts returned. But with another roster crunch coming up, it seems that Kim could be the odd man out.
Los Angeles has already sent Alex Freeland down and designated Santiago Espinal for assignment in other moves, leaving Kim as the likely next in line to go. The Dodgers originally had to make room for Betts and Kiké Hernández, and now Edman's return is coming soon.
On the year, Kim has hit .257 with one home run, 10 runs batted in and 12 walks drawn, while putting up an OPS of .652. Kim has drastically cooled off from his hot start at the plate, which is another reason he's on the roster bubble.
Kim was surprisingly mentioned as a potential candidate to be sent down when Hernández returned this week.
The Dodgers don't want Kim to focus on the potential roster cuts coming down the line, though. Instead, manager Dave Roberts wants the infielder to play free and show the team exactly what he can do on the field.
"[I want] Hyeseong just playing and freeing himself up and not worrying about kind of who's coming, who's not coming," Roberts said. "Just kind of get back to being who he is as a ball player."
Kim has been praised multiple times this year for his impact on the Dodgers. But with the extreme amount of talent on the Dodgers roster, there isn't room for everyone at the big league level.
All Kim can do now is focus on himself, doing the little things to help the team win games. Then once the decisions are made, he can feel good about everything he did, no matter the situation.
The Dodgers understand Kim's value to the team, but tough choices have to happen over the course of a season. Barring an injury to someone else, Kim seems like the obvious choice to go down for Edman.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/dodgers/onsi as Dodgers' Hyeseong Kim Knows His Roster Spot Could Be in Jeopardy.
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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 7:30 PM.