Braves Determine Next Step for Ha-Seong Kim's Rehab Assignment

The Atlanta Braves have determined their next step for Ha-Seong Kim as he works toward his return. It was announced on Monday that he will join the Stripers to continue his rehab assignment on Tuesday, May 5.

He began his stint with the Clingstones since they were playing at home last week. Now that both Columbus and Gwinnett are on the road, now was the time to get him reps in Triple-A. There is no longer an advantage to having him play in Double-A.

The length of his rehab assignment is still unclear. However, the mindset with it is that it's also serving as a make-up for missing spring training.

Kim, who is on the Braves’ 10-day Injured List with a right middle finger laceration, is scheduled to play as Gwinnett begins a six-game series against the Norfolk Tides at Harbor Park. He has been recovering from this injury since he underwent surgery in January.

The 30-year-old Kim began his rehab assignment with Double-A Columbus, batting .333 (3-for-9) with three runs scored and one stolen base in four games. He joins Gwinnett for the first time in what will be just his second career stint in Triple-A.

Back in December, the Braves re-signed Ha-Seong Kim to a one-year, $20 million contract. He had turned down his $16 million player option for the upcoming season. So, the move netted him a modest pay bump for the season.

In an interview with his agent, Scott Boras, he affirmed that Kim had a lot to like about the Braves. One of them was related to manager Walt Weiss.

"Walt Weiss is a really good infield coach," he said during the Winter Meetings. "And I think that anybody who enjoys defense would enjoy Walt."

In 24 games, he batted .253 with a .684 OPS, three home runs and 12 RBIs. Both of the counting totals were more than what he had with Tampa Bay. Before he went hitless over the final series of the season, Kim was batting .289 with a .770 OPS. His performance was stronger than the overall numbers suggest.

Other promising news on the injury front includes two expected returns to the Braves roster this week. Sean Murphy has been reinstated from the injured list in time for the Braves series to get underway in Seattle, per a team announcement. Raisel Iglesias is expected to be reinstated on Tuesday.

The first game of their three-game series in Seattle is scheduled to get undeway on Monday. JR Ritchie will be on the mound for a 9:40 p.m. EDT (6:40 p.m. local time) first pitch.

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