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Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Hyeseong Kim

The Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t anticipate that second baseman Hyeseong Kim would remain on the big-league roster too long, but Kim seems pretty keen on sticking around for a while. 

And that ultimately cost a longtime Dodger his job. 

Kim was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City on May 3 after Tommy Edman went on the 10-day injured list with ankle inflammation. It was thought to be a temporary promotion, as Kim was just a placeholder, taking Edman’s spot until he was ready to return, but Kim did much more than just fill up space. 

The rookie filled up the scorecard. 

In 14 games since he joined the Dodgers, Kim posted a slash line of .452/.485/.581 with an OPS of 1.066. In the team’s three games from Wednesday to Friday, Kim reach based in nine consecutive plate appearances, with two walks and seven hits, including his first MLB home run. Kim matched Corey Seager’s 2015 mark for the longest streak of consecutive plate appearances reaching base by a Dodgers rookie since the franchise relocated to Los Angeles in 1958, per the Elias Sports Bureau. 

“He just kind of has a magic wand right now,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s taking good at-bats and putting the ball in play. And when you can do that, good things can happen.” 

Dodgers Release Chris Taylor as Hyeseong Kim Has Historic Run at Plate

But good things for Kim meant an unfortunate reality for Chris Taylor . With Edman ready to return from the IL, the Dodgers were forced to make the difficult decision to release the 34-year-old utility player, who is in the final guaranteed season of a four-year, $60 million contract. 

“We felt like this was in the Dodgers’ best interest in terms of how to win as many games and put us in a position to best win the World Series this year,” said Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. “Doesn’t mean that it was easy. But ultimately felt like it was the right thing to do.” 

Taylor, who was acquired in a 2016 trade with Seattle, is the second veteran player released by Los Angeles in the past week. On Wednesday, catcher Austin Barnes, who was in his 11th season with the Dodgers, was designated for assignment as the team decided to call up top prospect Dalton Rushing. 

“This has been a very emotional week for all of us,” Friedman said Sunday. “Barnesy and CT have been in the middle of some huge moments for this organization. Both guys have left an indelible mark on our culture and where we’re at this point. So the decisions were incredibly difficult. The conversations were tough.” 

Hyeseong Kim ‘Having Fun’ During Offensive Explosion for Dodgers

But the decision to keep Kim on the roster was made pretty easy, as the 26-year-old Korean standout, who signed a three-year, $12.5 million contract with the Dodgers in early January, has proven that he deserves to stay. 

“It’s been fun,” Kim recently said through an interpreter . “It’s not an easy opportunity to have, so I’m really having fun right now. 

“I’m just going to play baseball. When I’m on the field I’m just going to play my baseball, try to get on base. It’s hard to speculate, hard to predict what’s going to happen in the future.” 

For now, that future will continue to be at the MLB level. 

Dave Benson Dave Benson is a longtime writer with over three decades of experience in a variety of mediums, including 15 years covering high school, collegiate and minor league sports in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Dave is also a licensed English teacher and spent a few years teaching at the middle school level. More about Dave Benson