Los Angeles Dodgers utility player Chris Taylor (35) ended the final day of spring training with another Samjin. Given Taylor's struggles, it seems that the day for Kim Hye-sung (26) to receive an opportunity may come soon.

On the 26th (Korean time), Taylor was substituted in defensively in the 5th inning of the final spring training game against the Los Angeles Angels and struck out in the 8th inning. After hitting four consecutive fouls against Kenley Jansen, he swung and missed on a one-bounce cutter on the fifth pitch.

As a result, Taylor's final spring training performance was a batting average of .250 in 15 games (39 at-bats, 8 hits), with no home runs, 2 RBIs, 5 runs scored, 2 walks, and 16 Samjin, on-base percentage of .262, slugging percentage of .282, and OPS of .544. This is not as good compared to Kim Hye-sung's performance (batting average of .207, 1 home run, 3 RBIs, on-base percentage of .303, slugging percentage of .310, and OPS of .613), who was sent down to Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets ahead of the MLB World Tour Tokyo Series.

Of course, it's difficult to directly compare the veteran Taylor, with an 11-season major league career, to rookie Kim Hye-sung. Taylor, who debuted with the Seattle Mariners in 2014, blossomed as a utility player after being traded to the Dodgers during the 2016 season, moving between infield and outfield. He has also seen the effects of adjustments in his batting, including a leg kick, hitting double-digit home runs in six seasons.

However, last year he had his worst performance with a batting average of .220 in 87 games (213 at-bats, 43 hits), 4 home runs, 23 RBIs, and OPS of .598 after joining the Dodgers. In April, he had a terrible start with no hits in his first 30 at-bats and 15 Samjin in 11 games. He spent the year struggling to find his hitting rhythm, including going 0 for 4 with 4 Samjin in the NLDS Game 4.

In mid-last month, Taylor expressed his eagerness to rebound, saying, "The past few years have not reached the level I wanted. I don't think it's because of physical issues or age. I think it's a technical problem. I want to definitely bounce back and return to the form I had 4-5 years ago."

Despite his struggles in spring training, Taylor has not been able to find a key to a significant rebound. Instead, he has a striking rate of 38.1%, with 16 Samjin in 42 plate appearances. While he is known for having recorded the most Samjin in the National League with 178 in 2018, his career striking rate (29.1%) has increased by about 9%. It feels as if he goes down swinging every time he comes to bat. He also remained stuck on the bench for the two opening series games in the Tokyo Series.

Despite not performing well, the reason Taylor made the Dodgers' opening day roster of 26 is still due to his ability to cover multiple positions both infield and outfield, combined with his sizable salary. Taylor signed a four-year, $60 million extension with the Dodgers in December 2021, and his salary this year is $13 million, which is approximately 19 billion won. Even for the wealthy organization like the Dodgers, they cannot afford to squander a player earning that much. They have to find a way to utilize him.

However, this is the final year of Taylor's guaranteed contract. Next year's $12 million contract is controlled by the team option of the Dodgers. If Taylor does not rebound during the regular season, the Dodgers may decide to release him at some point. When high-salary players underperform, their contracts are often terminated during the final year of the deal. If a player occupies a roster spot without contributing, there is no need to keep them until the end of the season, even if it costs money. For a team like the Dodgers that needs to win, optimizing every roster spot is crucial.

If Taylor continues to underperform, Kim Hye-sung could receive an opportunity in that position. As Kim Hye-sung excels in multi-position defense playing not only second base but also shortstop and center field, if his hitting improves, there is a good chance he could replace Taylor at some point. For Kim Hye-sung, it is crucial to solidify his new hitting form in Triple-A while waiting for his opportunity. Given Taylor's current form, that time may come sooner than expected.

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