Hyeseong Kim's Hand Injury Could Have Been Worse

Feb 25, 2026; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Hyeseong Kim (6) looks on in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

Hyeseong Kim was not available as Team Korea advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic for the first time since 2009.

Korea punched their ticket for the next round behind a thrilling 7-2 win over Australia that Kim could only watch from the dugout due to a left hand injury he suffered on a stolen base attempt the day prior.

Hyeseong Kim avoided serious injury

At the time of Kim not being in the lineup for Korea's pivotal matchup, the severity of his hand injury was not known. According to Jack Harris of the California Post, Kim's injury is not believed to be significant or overly concerning.

One update to something discussed here since we recorded last night:

Was told the hand injury that reportedly kept Hyeseong Kim out of Team Korea’s most recent WBC game is “not anything of concern”

Good news for Dodgers and Kim, who has been pushing for an OD roster spot at 2B https://t.co/l94noHfvxG

— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) March 10, 2026

It's not yet clear if Kim will be back in the lineup when Korea plays their WBC quarterfinal game on Friday. They finished as the runner-up in Pool C with a 2-2 record, and next face the winner of Pool D. First pitch at loanDepot Park in Miami is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. PT.

If Korea loses on Friday, it will mark the end of their World Baseball Classic appearance and Kim will make his way back to Dodgers Spring Training.

Prior to missing their most recent contest, Kim started at second base in Korea's first three pool games, but had just one hit--a home run--in 10 at-bats. He did draw two walks, stole a base and also scored two runs over that span.

Kim's results in the WBC thus far are drastically different from his showing in Cactus League before leaving camp. Albeit in a small sample size of four games, Kim went 9-for-13 with a 1.154 on-base plus slugging percentage, one home run and five RBI.

Remaining healthy is all the more paramount for Kim this year as he's on track to make the Dodgers' Opening Day roster. He figures to be part of a platoon at second base, along with Santiago Espinal, and Kim may also be a backup center fielder.

He spent the offseason further working on mechanical changes with his swing and becoming more comfortable playing the outfield. Kim made one of his four starts for the Dodgers this spring in center field and came up with multiple impressive catches at Salt River Fields.

During his rookie season last year, Kim appeared in 17 games (nine starts) as a center fielder. He also spent some time at shortstop while primarily playing second base.