The Dodgers optioned infielder Hyeseong Kim and right-hander Bobby Miller this evening. They also reassigned non-roster invitees Giovanny Gallegos, Eddie Rosario, David Bote, Michael Chavis and top prospect Dalton Rushing to minor league camp.
Additionally, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that Dustin May will open the season as the fifth starter as Tony Gonsolin is ticketed for an injured list stint. Manager Dave Roberts told Dodgers Territory yesterday that was likely to be the case, as Gonsolin recently tweaked his back while lifting weights.
Kim entered camp as the favorite for the second base job. The Dodgers signed the lefty-hitting infielder to a three-year deal that guaranteed $12.5MM. While that’s a relatively modest investment, L.A. traded Gavin Lux to Cincinnati a few days later. That seemingly opened the path for Kim to step in at the keystone, but the Dodgers evidently have some concerns about how his bat will translate to open the season.
Offensive impact has been the question dating back to Kim’s time in Korea. Evaluators credit him as a good baserunner and plus defender. He hit .304 over eight KBO seasons but was never much of a power threat. Last season’s 11 home runs represented a career high. The 26-year-old infielder struck out 10 times in 31 plate appearances during his first MLB camp. He hit .222 with one homer in 14 spring games.
Starting Kim in the minors provides Roberts some flexibility at second base. The Dodgers could turn to any of Miguel Rojas, Enrique Hernández or Chris Taylor — all of whom would otherwise play utility roles. Alternatively, they could bring Tommy Edman back in from center field to play second. That’d open center field for Andy Pages or James Outman, but neither of them have had especially impressive Spring Trainings.
The Gonsolin injury resolves L.A.’s biggest camp battle: the fifth starter competition between him and May. Both pitchers missed all of last season rehabbing surgeries. Gonsolin underwent a 2023 Tommy John procedure. May required a flexor repair in ’23 and needed to undergo emergency esophageal surgery last summer after suffering a life-threatening throat tear while eating. His season debut will be his first major league appearance in nearly two years.
May rounds out what will be a five-man rotation for the time being. Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki and Blake Snell will hold the top four rotation spots. Yamamoto and Sasaki are respectively tabbed for Games 1 and 2 during next week’s Tokyo Series matchup against the Cubs.
WHAT? The super stud foreign player and the overhyped 100 mph pitcher? Say it ain’t so!
Bobby Miller isn’t overhyped lol. Nobody is saying he’s going to be a superstar, he’s got some obvious potential but that’s it. Very few top prospects turn out to be studs so calling a guy who was a decent prospect 2-3 years ago overhyped doesn’t make much sense at all.
The guy is a Reds fan. Dissing the Dodgers is about all he has.
If there was a cap, he’d be on the same level as LA
Nah. People like that will always be jerks.
GenoSeligPrieb: And if your aunt had yada yada yada and you know the rest.
Bivouac
No needs to put down Reds’ fans generally. Reds have lots of interesting pieces. If and it is a big if, Burns and Lowder become a pair of aces, Reds could become a real postseason threat overnight.
Kim is a slick fielding utility player who might get 20 SBs in a season. He’ll be back in the majors this year, but if not, Dodgers will be just fine.
Fair point MLB, but have you read any of “This one”s other posts?
Bivouac
Can’t say I remember this poster. My point is feel free to slam this poster without making it about Reds’ fans generally. 🙂
Taylor should be the first to go back down, his mediocre defense and lack of offense should be obvious
Do you have a clue how minor league options work? Taylor has been in the league more than 9 years.
MLB
I said
Fair
Point
What do you want, blood?
You asked if I remembered the guy, I said “no” and reiterated that it didn’t matter.
No problems here. Enjoy next week and don’t worry about it.. I have already pre-recorded the Dodgers-Cubs games.
“I have already pre-recorded the Dodgers-Cubs games.”
Then tell us who won! LOL.
“Pre-set” recordings 🙂
Bobby Miller is/was 100% overhyped…consensus top 20 prospect going into 2023.
When you look critically at his minor’s stats he never should have been that high. 4.13 ERA. Being an LAD prospect added about 50 slots if not more to his prospect ranking,.
Just another conspiracy, huh? This is just plain funny.
Whatever dude
Bobby Miller was good in 2023. Idk what happened but something was clearly wrong in 24
That is a fact, maybe the ball to the head will set him straight and lower his ERA
Did anyone actually think Hyeseong Kim was going to be a “super stud?” He got $12M… not exactly super stud money.
12.5M over 3 years to be precise.
Yep, solid utility infielder money.
I took plenty of heat for suggesting he was exactly that and not a fit for Seattle’s second base vacancy..
I was honestly a little puzzled over LA’s interest. I wondered if they were simply willing to sacrifice the bat for his defense, or if they thought they could get him to make adjustments that would help him with MLB pitching.
Anyway, hopefully he’ll get on track in AAA and have a nice career.
But to This dummy that cheers for the Reds, that is super-stud money.
Most MLB teams can’t afford to waste $12M….
All super studs make $4 mil a year in the MLB: Kim and Ohtani
Bobby Miller had a line drive go off his head this spring and hasn’t pitched in weeks.. He wasn’t making the rotation after that.
@this
wrong Asian dude. he’s an infielder.
Yeah, the real super stud has a 0.00 ERA this spring
10 strikeouts in 26 spring AB’s for Kim. I haven’t watched him so i don’t know how many are looking or swing and miss, but he does have 4 walks so either they have to make him more aggressive at the plate, or more patient
Last 4 games or so he’s looked a lot better. I think he’s just fine but I would guess the plan is to continue his adjustments and lock in the changes he’s made. He just needs more at bats.
When he’s ready he’ll be up.
Dropped. My thoughts too. No big deal. Miller though is a surprise. He too likely needs work. I expect both to be back. Miller’s value is not where it needs to be for him to be traded.
Korean hitters almost never pan out…Choo is about the only hitter I can think of who ever did and he never played in the KBO and developed in the minors since he was 18 even.
He Sop Choi
Ya..but I find that too spicy for my tastes
Gonsolin is garbage. cant ever stay healthy
That’s a clown comment, bro!
@gwynning. Thanks for liking my comment, and proving I’m wrong sometimes. Kike probably pushed him out of the lineup. Thought trading lux guaranteed kim a spot.
There’s a lot of smart posters here, Huddy… but you’re near the top. I almost always agree with your posts if they’re subjective, too. Enjoy your day Huds!
Catman will be back
Giants dodged a bullet.
Different guy
I know. Trying to be funny.
Succeeding!
It wasn’t an easy transition for HS Kim either ( also a KBO IF). In his first season with the Pads he really struggled and might have benefitted from a short stint in the minors.
They are both H.S. Kim(s), by the way. But I take your point.
Thanx Biv.
@bivouac-sal. Everything is so similar from numbers, names, and both defensive players. i thought they were brothers early on. Think he was saying that they profile the same. That’s my argument when people are saying Korean players don’t translate to the mlb. Plus I think now everything is so mixed that npb, kbo, and Mexico has players all over that it’s closer to triple A than years past.
Wouldn’t be shocked if they picked up the contract on Bote.
Bote instead of?
Kim?
They’ve already sent Kim down.
Bote has to beat out Pages, CT3 or Kiké, none of which seem likely. I like Bote. He had a great spring. But I don’t see he has a spot until /unless someone gets hurt.
Well, yes, which seemed to open a roster spot (though I am not keeping count). But the article here says Bote is now in minor league camp, so it seems he won’t be going to Japan. So to your earlier question, who are the five extra who are going?
I tried to come up with that 5 earlier. Sauer, Knack, Dreyer, Outman, Feduccia is what I get. If you think Knack is making the opening day roster, then Wrobleski is on the list. Personally I think Wrobleski beats out Knack to start the home season. I have Garcia on the roster too.
It mentions that Bote was one of the guys they optioned. 2B is between Taylor, Rojas and Hernandez. Unless they wanted to bring Edman in to play 2B and keep either Outman or Pages for CF, but they both have sucked so far this spring, it said.
I think Pages makes the team in CF and Edman plays 2B. Yes Pages did not have a great spring, but they like him.
Bote was signed as a free agent so he can’t be optioned. He most likely has an opt out if doesn’t make the roster.
Maybe. The Padres Kim had stellar numbers all around in KBO. Great player.
Ha-seong was a superstar in KBO. But it took him about 400 ABs to adjust to MLB fastballs
Ha-Seong has an elite glove…not sure Hyesong does or not yet.
Ouch.
It seemed like from the beginning of spring training that the Dodgers were going to have Kim start in the minor leagues. Plus they have Taylor and his contract. I wonder what will happen to Pages and Outman, who aren’t exactly tearing it up in spring training. Do they send down both?
@sugo
I think its clear Outman is headed for OKC. Pages likely sticks and plays CF for the time being with Edman at 2B.
My expectations are extremely low for Kim. Historically there has been close to zero success from Korean hitters coming from the KBO. The best one far and away has been Ha-Seoung Kim and he is MAYBE league average offensively. After that you are looking at guys like Jung-Ho Kang as the next best hitter to come over from there.
Sin Shoo Choo was a superstar and a fantastic hitter.
He didn’t come out of the KBO. He signed in the USA out of HS and didn’t play in the KBO until after his MLB career.
“Superstar” is also stretching it…lol
Shin-Shoo Choo? Had 36.4 bWAR, 200+ HRs, and a 122 OPS+.
YBC I thought the same thing but looked him up & he actually didn’t start in KBO.
You’re right. He signed right out of high school and ended his career in KBO.
What a great hitter he was.
no….his misbehaving brother.Sin shoo choo
TYPO!!!
Name another…that’s 1 out of what 100?
Ha-Seong Kim has definitely been league average.. Career .310 wOBA at SS/2B. Lee also looks very projectible and had good early showings on his batted ball metrics. Hyeseong Kim won’t have the power of either of those two unless the Dodgers can work a miracle, but anyone in the league can afford to roll the dice on a super utility guy @ $4M/yr.
@sadmarinersfan. Kang was good he just lasted two years and got deported.
Yeah he was a bit rapey
@wade. The two or three dui’s in a year didn’t help either
Woof. I think he went back to Korea and got in more trouble
Hopefully they finally move on from May once he gets hurt again. I rather have a 38 year old with million of miles on his body as the fifth starter at this point.
@DDC
Gonsolin was going to beat out May for the 5 spot until he “tweaked his back.” When Cat Man is healthy, and Kershaw is ready and this guy–what’s his name–Ohtani, there are no shortage of replacements if May doesn’t cut it.
I think May is going to do well.
I actually expect good results from all three of Gonsolin, May and Kershaw.
Sort of why I thought Yates was overkill.
If history has taught us anything it’s that you can’t have enough arms.
Shin-Soo Choo was probably the best player from South Korea. He also was a LHP. Didn’t start out in KBO but ended there with a Championship.
Just play Betts at 2B with a good defensive SS
Poor Dodgers! Let me grab a tissue!
Toilet tissue?
I’m interested in seeing how Kim fares. I love the speed and contact game.
Dodgers are being smart and looking long term here.
Agreed. Why waste time and send him to play games Japan if he isn’t ready yet.
people forget that an overwhelming amount of “imported” Asian players dont do well in the MLB
It’s true, many of these Korean and Japanese players (position players in particular) don’t do well in the US. The pitchers seem to typically transfer well, but the hitters are a much bigger question mark. KBO hitters in particular have had a very rough track record in MLB. The best one is Ha-Seoung Kim, who is around a league average hitter in MLB. That’s the best of the best the KBO has sent. NPB has had a little more success, but for every Ohtani there is a dozen Shogo Akiyama’s.
And for every Mookie Betts there’s a dozen Blake Swiharts and Lars Andersons. There’s inherent risk in projecting success in the show from results in other levels of play/leagues.
Hitters for sure….pitchers are way more translatable. That being said Korean and Taiwanese Pro-League hitters have almost zero track record in the MLB. Obviously there have a been several Japanese hitters who have made the transition and will end up in the HOF or team’s HOF.
We know who is buying dinner for the AAA team.
He’s technically a rookie!
Korean BBQ. Yum!
Dodger fans were ecstatic when the team signed Kim. Funny to witness the backpedaling and memory loss now.
Nobody was ecstatic over a player that got 4MM a year as a free agent. He’s paid like a defense-first utility guy and any reasonable person could see that.
No they weren’t.
Narrative time.
i’m ecstatic to see how he does in the minors. he’s making 4m/yr, what do I care.
@window
you post lies and untruths
Any excitement was because we knew Lux and his erratic arm was no longer going to be a problem. Another guy who can play 2b pretty much sealed his fate.
lol you have a sharp mind I can tell. lol.
A sharp mind with an exceedingly smooth brain, perhaps?
Smooth like butter.
Guys will be injured throughout the season so having the flexibility of bringing him up to fill in is beneficial and he gets his reps in here to get up to speed.
Boy, now I’m glad the M’s didn’t sign him.
This post will age well.
Babe Ruth, Harmon Killebrew, Alex Rodriguez.
All sent down to minors before they made it to the bigs for good.
The guy’s MLB career isn’t over. It’s just begun. Relax.
The Great Mark Vientos too!
Oh there is a long list. Roy Halladay, Marcell Ozuna, Adam Wainwright…
I’m sure this list is a long one. In fact I’d say the list of players who were promoted and never optioned is probably shorter than the list of the ones who were sent back down.
@bivouac-sal. Ohtani was only a pony his rookie year.
Indicative of the sad state of MLB. The Dodgers have so much money they think nothing of paying their minor leaguers $4 million a year.
Oh woe is us.
You really don’t have to reply to every post. If you actually had something to contribute, that would justify your spew. Instead, you come off as a bore.
Posts with meaningful content get meaningful replies. Yours, on the other hand, get what they deserve.
Worse than a bore, a sorehead to boot. Nice.
“The Gonsolin injury resolves L.A.’s biggest camp battle: the fifth starter competition between him and May.” Would’ve appreciated reference to this in a headline. Maybe “Dodgers News”, not just Kim.
Trade for Luis Robert
Mendy- I think you mean castrated. You darn eunich.