The Los Angeles Dodgers recalled infielder Hyeseong Kim on Monday, seemingly preparing to move him onto the NLDS roster. Kim spent most of the year in the minor leagues, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he could make the postseason roster earlier in the month. He’s in the conversation." The Dodgers scheduled Kim's return, so his move isn't exactly a surprise, but his presence with the team for the remainder of their bye week could help him make his case to make the roster.
Kim spent 43 games in MLB this year, posting a .651 OPS with the big league club. That's noticeably lower than the .699 mark he posted in 2025, and his glove also looked slightly less impressive during his time in MLB. Kim, through his 114 MLB games, hasn't excelled at much, but he is quick and has a plus glove — providing the Dodgers plenty of value as a defensive replacement or a pinch runner.
Prior to the postseason, Roberts outlined what he wanted to see Kim improve on in order to make the roster. "For Hyeseong, it’s the at-bat consistency," Roberts said. "I don’t think his offense has been consistent.
For us, the at-bat quality—for example—that Alex Freeland is giving us has been very good. For Hyeseong, just trying to find something consistent and perform consistently, and to be quite frank he just hasn’t been as consistent as he can be. But if he can get more consistent with a bat, then he can be a big piece.” Kim is fighting for position in a crowded infield, and some other players on the outside looking in are fighting for the same spot he wants.
One of those players is Alex Call, who remained with the team throughout their World Series run last season and spent all of 2026 in the big leagues. Call is only slightly slower than Kim, and reaches base at a higher rate while offering less positional redundancy. If the Dodgers decide they want more than just a pinch runner for October, they may overlook Kim in favor of Call.
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