MLB spring training is in full swing, and there is new roster speculation floating around daily. There are question marks for every team — even the defending World Series champions. The Los Angeles Dodgers have question marks in center field and at second base. March is the time to sort out those predicaments.
There are several combinations the team could go with to fill those specific positions. Manager Dave Roberts spoke on the matter, hinting that Dodgers’ offseason signee Hyeseong Kim doesn’t have a clear-cut spot in the starting lineup.
“I think that we have a couple guys in James (Outman) and Andy (Pages) playing center field,” said Roberts, via Gabe Smallson of Dodgers Nation. “We got Hyeseong (Kim) out there a little bit in center field. Tommy (Edman) obviously can play some center field, and so just kind of keeping him active on the dirt at second base.
“We know we can play short, and to kind of see where Hyeseong goes and develops as the spring goes on. But yeah, he’s still in the mix, but I do believe that getting him out there, talking about Hyeseong Kim, in center field, but also playing some second base, there’s not a lot of downside to that.”
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Kim is off to a slow offensive start in spring training. In eight Cactus League games, Kim is batting just .118 with one home run and eight strikeouts. The 26-year-old from Goyang, South Korea, has won defensive awards at second base in the last three KBO seasons. Kim also won an award at shortstop in 2021.
Roberts spoke on the Dodgers’ roster competition back in February, specifically the matchup between Outman and Pages. Los Angeles likes what they have seen out of the two young outfielders. Nonetheless, it’s unlikely both can have starting outfield jobs.
The Dodgers want to keep Edman in the starting lineup. Edman signed a five-year contract over the offseason, and the Dodgers’ love for good-hitting utility players is known league-wide. If Edman gets starts at second base, and either Outman or Pages is in center field, where does that leave Kim? Perhaps the former KBO star could start the season in the minors to ensure he gets adequate reps.
The Dodgers will take on the Chicago Cubs in the Tokyo Series, beginning March 16. Opening day for the Dodgers in the United States will be March 27 against the Detroit Tigers.
