Kim Hye-seong, who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers but had been staying in the Minor League Triple-A, has finally been called up to the Major League.

The Dodgers Daily, which reports on Dodgers news, said on the afternoon of the 3rd (Korean time), citing a source's statement, that "anything can happen before the official announcement and circumstances may change, but according to reliable sources, Kim Hye-seong is expected to be called up to the Major League soon."

At this point, it still seemed like uncertain news. However, Fabian Ardaya, a Dodgers reporter for the North American sports media The Athletic, noted early on the 4th through his social media, that "according to sources, the Dodgers have called up Kim Hye-seong. He is heading to Atlanta after recording an OPS of .801 in 127 plate appearances in Triple-A."

As more reliable news is cross-checked, Kim Hye-seong's call-up to the Major League seems to become a reality. This would make Kim Hye-seong the 28th Korean player in history to enter the Major League.

Kim Hye-seong played for the Kiwoom Heroes in the KBO League until last year, recording a batting average of .304 (1,043 hits in 3,433 at-bats), 37 home runs, 386 RBIs, 591 runs, 211 stolen bases, and an OPS of .767 over 953 games. He won the Golden Glove as a shortstop in 2021 and has received the Golden Glove as a second baseman for three consecutive years from 2022 to 2024. He is a prominent Korean infielder who has also represented his country in various international competitions, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 2023 World Baseball Classic, the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, and the 2023 Asia Professional Baseball Championship.

After the end of last season, Kim Hye-seong knocked on the Major League through the posting system and signed a contract with the 2022 World Series champion Dodgers for a maximum of $22 million over 3+2 years. The guaranteed part of the contract is $12.5 million for three years, and the remaining two years are team options.

Kim Hye-seong was expected to be a utility player for the Dodgers but began altering his batting form at the start of spring training and struggled to adapt during the games meant to showcase his skills. Ultimately, he recorded a batting average of .270 (6 hits in 29 at-bats), 1 home run, and 3 RBIs in 15 spring training games and was notified of his assignment to the Minor League. He was also not included in the roster for the Tokyo Opening Series.

Starting the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City, Kim Hye-seong has played as a second baseman, shortstop, and center fielder, recording a batting average of .252 (29 hits in 115 at-bats), 5 home runs, 19 RBIs, and an OPS of .798 over 28 games. Notably, he successfully stole 13 bases without failure.

This call-up of Kim Hye-seong is interpreted as a measure to fill the gap left by the injury of Tommy Edman, a Korean-American player. Edman suffered a right ankle injury during the game against the Miami Marlins on the 30th of last month. He has struggled with pain and could not participate in the game against Miami on the 1st, nor in the away game against the Atlanta Braves on the 3rd. With Edman’s injury lingering, it seems that Kim Hye-seong will be utilized in place of Edman, who was the starting second baseman.

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