San Diego Padres Infielder Ha-Seong Kim Goes Down With Shoulder Injury
San Diego Padres second baseman Ha-Seong Kim left Sunday's game against the Texas Rangers with a right shoulder injury, manager Bob Melvin confirmed to reporters.
Kim got hurt after tagging up and scoring on a sacrifice fly by shortstop Xander Bogaerts in the bottom of the third inning. Kim slid head-first to beat the throw, and he immediately grabbed his shoulder at the end of the play.
Although he was able to leave the field under his own power, Kim went straight back into the clubhouse and did not return to action, according to The Athletic's Dennis Lin.
Melvin described Kim's injury as a jammed shoulder after the game. While team doctors indicated it did not appear to be particularly serious, Kim is unlikely to play Monday against the Colorado Rockies and has been labeled as day-to-day.
The Padres went on to win 5-3 on Sunday, completing their sweep over the Rangers.
At the time of his injury, Kim was 1-for-1 with a walk in the series finale.
The 27-year-old Kim is in the midst of a career year, as he is hitting .279 with 14 home runs, 39 RBI, 21 stolen bases and an .821 OPS. Most impressively of all, Kim boasts a 5.2 WAR, which only trails the Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani and the Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. for the highest in baseball.
Kim is hitting .379 with an 1.106 OPS since the All-Star break, all while drawing 11 walks compared to seven strikeouts.
The Padres are now 8-4 over their last 12 games, keeping them within shouting distance of the playoff picture. San Diego is currently sitting in fourth place in the NL West at 52-54, but they are only 5.0 games back of the third NL Wild Card spot.
There have been rumors that the Padres could be sellers at the trade deadline, but the only move they've made so far is sending veteran minor league catcher Kevin Plawecki to the Texas Rangers for cash.
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