Kim Hye-seong (27), a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, has been called back up to the major leagues.
The Dodgers announced through their X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday that they recalled Kim from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Shortstop Mookie Betts was placed on the injured list.
Kim was immediately inserted as a defensive replacement in the bottom of the eighth inning of the road game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. He was deployed at second base and slotted into the ninth spot in the batting order. Kim and Miguel Rojas (37) are likely to share shortstop duties until Betts returns. Kim bats left-handed, while Rojas bats right-handed.
Kim is likely to start two games in the upcoming three-game road series against the Toronto Blue Jays beginning Tuesday. According to the Los Angeles Times, manager Dave Roberts said of Kim, "I expect him to play good defense, show good at-bats, take walks when they come, and control the strike zone."
In his first MLB season last year, Kim appeared in 71 games, posting a solid .280 batting average with three home runs, 17 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases, and earned a World Series ring. In his second year, he raised expectations by hitting over .400 in spring training, but was left off the Opening Day roster and began the season in the minors amid assessments that his batting touch had declined somewhat during the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
Betts, the Dodgers' starting shortstop, was removed in the first inning of the regular-season road game against the Nationals at Nationals Park on Sunday after experiencing back pain. He was subsequently diagnosed with a right oblique strain.