ATLANTA — The other notable international acquisition of the Dodgers’ offseason this winter is on the verge of his major league debut.
South Korean utilityman Hyeseong Kim is being called up by the Dodgers, people with knowledge of the situation who were not authorized to speak publicly confirmed, set to join the team in Atlanta on Saturday for what will be his first stint on the MLB roster this year.
Kim, 26, was signed to a three-year, $12.5 million contract this winter. He arrived in spring training as a highly-touted defensive option capable of playing multiple positions up the middle of the field.
He opened the season in triple-A after struggling mightily at the plate during camp, going six for 29 with one home run and 11 strikeouts. But he showed incremental progress with his swing while playing for the organization’s Oklahoma City affiliate during the first month, batting .257 with five home runs. He also stole 13 bases without getting caught.
The corresponding move for Kim’s call-up wasn’t immediately known, but utilityman Tommy Edman has been battling a right ankle injury the past couple days that manager Dave Roberts indicated could land him on the injured list if it didn’t improve.
This is a developing story and will be updated