Was the hug with the minor league manager just a simple greeting? Will Kim Hye-sung be able to board the flight to Washington?
Kim Hye-sung, who is part of the Oklahoma City Dodgers' Triple-A team, missed the home game against the El Paso Chihuahuas (San Diego Padres affiliate) on the 7th (Korean time) at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Oklahoma City set up a starting lineup consisting of Estuery Luis (left fielder), Alex Freedland (shortstop), Michael Chavis (first baseman), James Outman (center fielder), KODI Hodge (third baseman), Ryan Ward (designated hitter), Austin Gotiere (second baseman), Chris Oki (catcher), and Justin Dean (right fielder), and lost 4-6 to El Paso. Bobby Miller, who came in as the second pitcher, took the loss after 5 innings, allowing 2 hits (1 home run), 6 walks, 3 strikeouts, and 3 earned runs.
Could something have gone wrong for Kim Hye-sung, who has been consistently performing in Triple-A? Local media did not view Kim Hye-sung's absence as just a simple rest. The U.S. media Sports Illustrated (SI) reported, “A video surfaced from a Dodgers Triple-A game that has fans excited about a potential call-up for someone.”
According to a video cited in the SI article, Kim Hye-sung shared a poignant high-five with his teammates in the Oklahoma City dugout before embracing manager Scott Hennessey closely. The video included a comment saying, “Doesn’t it look like Kim Hye-sung is receiving congratulations? Is his Major League call-up imminent?”
Kim Hye-sung, who signed with the Dodgers for a total of $22 million (approximately 32.1 billion won) over 3+2 years through the posting system, struggled against big league pitchers during spring training and failed to make the opening-day roster. He began the season in Triple-A after being demoted to the minors and, as of the day before, had a batting average of .273 (9 hits in 33 at-bats), 6 RBIs, 7 runs, 2 stolen bases, and an OPS of .823 over 8 games.
Kim Hye-sung, who was out of the spotlight earlier in the season, began attracting media attention recently with a streak of hits in 5 consecutive games and a monthly batting average of .300 in April. Voices calling for his call-up have started to emerge, and the video from the dugout that day further solidified the discussion of his promotion.
SI noted, “Dodgers fans are speculating about who might come up to the Major League to replace the recently struggling center fielder Andy Phaehs. Just then, second baseman Kim Hye-sung appeared in the Triple-A Oklahoma City dugout, and a video of him receiving congratulations from his teammates was released. If this truly signifies Kim Hye-sung's call-up, Tommy Edman would take over the center field role, and Kim Hye-sung would step in as second baseman.”
After completing their away series against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Dodgers will move to Washington on the 8th to face the Washington Nationals in a three-game weekday series. However, the likelihood of Kim Hye-sung boarding the flight to Washington appears low. His agency, CAA Sports, stated, “We have not received any information regarding Kim Hye-sung's Major League call-up.”
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