ATLANTA — The other notable international acquisition of the Dodgers’ offseason this winter is on the verge of his major league debut.
South Korean utilityman Hyeseong Kim is being called up by the Dodgers, people with knowledge of the situation who were not authorized to speak publicly confirmed, set to join the team in Atlanta on Saturday for what will be his first stint on the MLB roster this year.
Kim, 26, was signed to a three-year, $12.5 million contract this winter, arriving as a highly-touted defensive and base-seatling weapon but with serious question marks at the plate.
In spring training, Kim struggled mightily to hit in Cactus League play, going six for 29 with one home run and 11 strikeouts. His swing needed so much work, the Dodgers elected to have him open the season in triple-A Oklahoma City, hoping it’d provide a softer landing spot for him to revamp his mechanics in order to handle big-league-caliber competition.
“The foundations, the actual swing mechanics needed to improve,” general manager Brandon Gomes said last week.
Improvement, however, has come fast for Kim, who has batted .252 in Oklahoma City with five home runs, 19 RBIs and a .798 OPS. He has also stolen 13 bases without getting caught.
The corresponding move for Kim’s call-up wasn’t immediately known, but utilityman Tommy Edman has been battling a right ankle injury the past couple days that manager Dave Roberts indicated could land him on the injured list if it didn’t improve.
Losing Edman, who has eight home runs and 24 RBIs this season, for any stretch would be a blow.
But the anticipation for Kim, potentially a future Gold Glover with game-changing speed, might help cushion it more than most.
A left-handed hitter who over eight seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization batted .304 but amassed only 37 home runs, Kim’s bat always figured to be the biggest question mark when the Dodgers signed him.
It was clear the team envisioned a prominent role for the 5-foot-10, 175-pound speedster, trading former second baseman Gavin Lux to Cincinnati just days after Kim was acquired. But it was also clear they’d have to be patient with his development, after Kim spent most of the spring flailing in the batter’s box in his first dose against big-league competition.
“Getting him exposed to real big league pitching, there’s just no real way to simulate that,” Gomes said when asked about Kim’s development last week. “You see a lot of guys [from overseas], it takes a little bit of time to get adjusted.”
After just one month, though, the team was already seeing growth.
Kim started the season with a 13-game tear, batting .293 with three home runs, seven doubles, one triple and 13 RBIs. His OPS at that point was .963. And he was immediately emerging as “a real threat on the bases,” Gomes said.
“[It was] the overall package of what we were hoping for,” Gomes said. “Speed, defense — and we knew the swing was gonna need a little bit of work.”
Kim has not been as productive lately, batting just .211 over his last 15 games. But, Gomes said reports from the minor-league staff have remained strong.
“The numbers are good. The swing is taking real steps forward,” Gomes said. “Now you’re starting to hone in on maybe some more advanced game-planning stuff, and being able to cover different parts of the zone.”
Regardless of how Kim hits in the majors, he should provide production in other ways for the Dodgers.
A four-time Gold Glove second baseman and shortstop in South Korea, Kim has added center field duties to his plate in triple-A. His 13 steals, meanwhile, are second-most in the Pacific Coast League, trailing only fellow Oklahoma City teammate Estuery Ruiz.
“He’s completely bought in,” Gomes said, “and [his improvement is] actually happening and performing even better than we expected this early.”
Kim hadn’t been called up sooner because the Dodgers were believed to be waiting for an opportunity to give him consistent playing time. Edman’s uncertain status opened the door for that this weekend. And now, exactly four months to the day after his Jan. 3 signing with the team, he’ll get his first taste of life in the majors.