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LA Dodgers star Hyeseong Kim played out of position in Monday night's loss against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Tommy Edman wasn't playing, and manager Dave Roberts asked the Korean star to cover for him in center field.
In the first inning on Monday, Diamondbacks' Eugenio Suarez hit a fly ball that was dropped between Kim and Teoscar Hernandez. The Diamondbacks scored their first run on that fly ball mess.
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Kim had trouble finding the fly ball. Addressing a potential error after the game, Roberts said he should have taken the help of fellow outfielder Teoscar Hernandez to cover for him after he lost sight of the baseball.
"He just lost it. He just lost it, you know? I don’t know if it was twilight or what—he just lost it. Unfortunately, that’s just something that happened," Roberts said.
Roberts further added that such errors can be avoided in the future once Kim gets more experience in center field.
"I think so, and I think that’s because he hasn’t played much center field," Roberts added. "At that point, he’s just trying to find the baseball and isn’t really letting the guys to the side know he’s having trouble. It’s more a matter of experience and an outlier play, but yeah."
Hyeseong Kim's temporary stay is turning into a breakout
Hyeseong Kim was not expected to turn things around so quickly. The Dodgers were expecting a gradual development from Kim, who was hitting .252/.328/.470 slash line with five home runs and 19 RBIs in the minors.
However, after Tommy Edman's ankle injury, the Dodgers called Kim back, and the versatile fielder has not given the club any reason to hurry him back.
After 13 games, Kim is putting up video game numbers, slashing .452 (14-for-31) with a .485 OBP, a home run, five RBIs, three stolen bases, and a staggering 203 wRC+. Before Monday's game, he reached base in each of the last nine games.
“He just kind of has a magic wand right now,” Dave Roberts said. “He’s taking good at-bats and putting the ball in play. And when you can do that, good things can happen.”
Also, Hyeseong Kim's presence at the bottom of the lineup is helping Shohei Ohtani drive up his RBI count as well. Ohtani, who bats leadoff, is now getting used to seeing Kim on base when he comes up, resulting in the three-time MVP driving him five times already.
“You could argue that Hyeseong should be playing six or seven days a week,” Roberts added. “Or you could be arguing that being here around our guys is more beneficial.”
Thus, the Dodgers are finding an everyday asset in Hyeseong Kim already.
