Dodgers Send Down Hyeseong Kim, Santiago Espinal Returns
· Yahoo Sports
Yet another move made by the Los Angeles Dodgers continues to shake up the layout of their foundation.
According to Jack Harris of The California Post, the Dodgers have sent down Hyeseong Kim to Triple-A Oklahoma City and have re-signed Santiago Espinal.
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Espinal was orginally designated for assignment on Monday by Los Angeles in order to make room for Kiké Hernández’s season debut.
The 31-year-old utility player cleared waivers and re-entered himself back into free agency, but found himself back in Dodger blue amid the unprecedented Grade 1 hamstring strain suffered by Teoscar Hernández.
In 26 games played for Los Angeles, Espinal posted a slashline of .220/.238/.366 and started primarily at second and third.
For Kim, it's been a rapid decline since the beginning May.
"I think his swing has changed," Dave Roberts said during Friday's pregame presser. "I think he's losing his leg a little bit. He's coming around the ball a little bit."
Roberts added that the swing and miss stuff during Kim's at-bats has jumped, and he is not wrong.
Kim is posting a 29% chase rate and 27% whiff rate to kick off his 2026 campaign, according to BaseballSavant. Pair that up with a slashline of .186/.250/.186 over his last 43 at-bats, and a whopping 16 strikeouts was the designated precursor.
May 17, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Hyeseong Kim (6) reacts during the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. -- © William Liang-Imagn ImagesThis will mark Kim's second stint with OKC, but Roberts is hopeful that the everyday playing time could re-vamp the early success he displayed.
"I think that, just kind of getting him back to playing every day, it's a little bit less of a hot-box. He'll perform back to where he can and will, so that's what we're hoping for."
With Kim's demotion, this also gives Alex Freeland more opportunities to man his primary position at second base, which Roberts pointed out.
"We're going to give Alex Freeland a little bit more runway at second base," Roberts said.
Freeland has picked it up defensively, picking up 3 Outs Above Average manning second base. The offensive numbers have stayed on a teeter-totter, posting a slashline of .235/.309/.337 in 33 games played.
But it's his numbers he posted in his short stint with OKC when he was sent down to make room for Mookie Betts.
He earned himself Pacific Coast League Player of the Week honors after posting an absurd .400/.464/.920 slashline and driving in 11 runners.
Still, from top to bottom, the Dodgers have a well-established amount of depth that has kept them afloat amid the flurry of injuries.
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