Dodgers Manager Reveals Why Hyeseong Kim Was Suddenly Optioned to Triple-A

The Los Angeles Dodgers optioned infielder Hyeseong Kim to Triple-A in a surprising move on Friday ahead of the team's three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies.

In a corresponding move, the Dodgers re-signed Santiago Espinal, who went through waivers unclaimed after the team designated him for assignment.

The move to send Kim down to the minors had been growing in rumors for weeks, but was solidified following injuries to Kiké Hernández (oblique) and Teoscar Hernández (hamstring).

But manager Dave Roberts broke down exactly why Los Angeles decided to make the move now.

"Just to kind of get Hyeseong back on track, to get [him] some regular at-bats," Roberts said.

Kim originally replaced Mookie Betts on the Dodgers roster when the star was out for over a month due to an oblique injury. The young infielder made his mark with the big league roster, hitting .296 with one home run and nine runs batted in, while recording an OPS of .726

However, over the month of May, Kim hit .226 with zero home runs and two runs batted in, while putting up an OPS of .511. His swing has looked a little off over the past few weeks, and the Dodgers want to get him back on track.

“I think his swing has changed. He’s losing his legs a little bit, Roberts said. "I think he’s coming around the ball a little bit. And there’s a lot more swing and miss than there was early. I think he is just playing a little bit –– with my eyes –– a little bit more tentative and not as free and easy as he was some parts of last year and early on."

Before this move was made, the Dodgers had already planned to cut down Kim's playing time. After Kiké Hernandez went down, the team recalled infielder Alex Freeland, and Roberts directly said that Kim would be second in line for game reps.

The Dodgers wanted to add another right-handed bat for the lineup, making it make sense to send Kim to the minors and bring Espinal back. Espinal played in 26 games for the Dodgers before they designated him for assignment, hitting .220 with one home run and four runs batted in, while posting an OPS of .604.

“With a star-studded team, you also have to have guys that know their roles and Espy is a guy that is good on the team, understands his value,” Roberts said. “He’s ready when called upon. I trust him defensively and I like him versus left-handed pitching. Just having him back is pretty seamless.”

The Dodgers will now move forward with Espinal for the foreseeable future, giving Kim a chance to work on his game in the minors. This could be a good opportunity for Kim to show the Dodgers how he deals with adversity, and if he can prove his swing again, he could find himself back in the majors later this season.

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