L.A. Dodgers’ Kim Hye-seong not favorite for opening day roster
New Los Angeles Dodgers signee Kim Hye-seong is not one of the favorites to make it on the roster for his side’s opening game of the 2025 MLB season, according to MLB.com.
The MLB.com on Tuesday did not list second baseman Kim as one of the players likely to be on the opening day roster, projecting that Tommy Edman will be the first pick to fill the vacancy for Gavin Lux, who joined the Cincinnati Reds after winning the World Series last season.
The projection by Dodgers beat reporter Sonja Chen said that manager Dave Roberts has left open the possibility that Kim begins the 2025 season in the minors league.
The projection comes after Kim’s performance during spring training where he recorded 17 at-bats, two hits, three walks and eight strikeouts with a batting average of 0.118.
One home run from those stats provides him some hopes, but that has not been enough to make himself a favorite for the No. 1 second baseman pick, with American media reporting that Kim is struggling to adjust to MLB pitching.
Kim does not have much time to showcase improvements, however, with the 2025 season starting on March 18.
Edman, who won a Gold Glove Award in 2021 at second base, is not the only competitor for Kim, as the roster also includes versatile players such as Chris Taylor and Eddie Rosario.
Infielder David Bote also demonstrated his skills as a non-roster invitee in spring training, hitting .500 with two home runs, nine RBIs and an OPS of 1.424.
The Dodgers have yet to send Kim to Minor League Baseball, but already sent eight players to the minors.
If Kim heads to the minors, he will be competing with Go Woo-suk of the Miami Marlins, who returned to the league after sustaining a finger injury during spring training.
For Go, the upcoming season will be his second year competing in the minors after failing to make his major league debut with both the San Diego Padres and Marlins in 2024.
He initially joined the Padres in January 2024 and moved to the Marlins in May of that year, only competing at the Triple-A-level — the highest in Minor League Baseball — and Double-A, the second highest level in the minors.
Go’s major league debut would see him competing against his brother-in-law Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants, who is set to begin his second season in the United States after missing much of the 2024 season action due to injury.
Fellow major leaguer Kim Ha-seong of the Tampa Bay Rays is also returning to the field after joining the Rays ahead of the 2025 season.
The 2025 season will begin not in the United States, but in Japan at the Tokyo Dome, with the Dodgers facing Chicago Cubs in a two-game series on March 18 and 19.
This is the sixth time an MLB season opener has taken place in Tokyo, setting the stage for Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani to showcase his skills in his home country.