The Dodgers started Hyeseong Kim in center field tonight against San Diego right-hander Stephen Kolek. Kim was flanked in the corners by Andy Pages and Teoscar Hernández, leaving Michael Conforto out of the lineup. Manager Dave Roberts said pregame that he’s unsure whether the lefty-hitting Conforto will get a start against rookie righty Ryan Bergert in tomorrow’s series finale (relayed by Sonja Chen of MLB.com).
Roberts didn’t frame it as a benching, saying he envisions Conforto “playing a lot still.” At the same time, the veteran skipper acknowledged that Kim has earned the opportunity for regular playing time. Kim is a natural middle infielder, but the Dodgers have Mookie Betts and Tommy Edman playing at those spots. That leaves center field as the clearest position for Kim to get consistent at-bats.
Signed to a three-year offseason deal out of Korea, the 26-year-old Kim began his Dodger tenure on optional assignment. Los Angeles called him up in early May. Kim was expected to work as a multi-positional player off the bench. He has thrived in his first look at MLB pitching, running a .382/.425/.544 batting line through his first 30 big league contests. He’s obviously not going to continue hitting that well, but he’s putting the ball in play at an above-average rate and has gone 6-6 on stolen base attempts.
Pages is playing at an All-Star level, while Hernández remains a middle-of-the-order bat. Getting Kim regular outfield work will come at the expense of Conforto, who is hitting .168/.305/.277 in his first season as a Dodger. He has hit below the Mendoza line in each month. Kim’s ability to play up the middle also allows the Dodgers to use Pages in left field. He’d otherwise need to play center when Conforto is in left.
It’s clearly not what the Dodgers envisioned when they signed Conforto to a surprising $17MM free agent deal. It was a fairly sizable bet on his strong finish to the 2024 campaign while with the Giants. He’d been up-and-down through the season’s first couple months before posting an OPS above .840 in both August and September. An injury to any of L.A.’s outfielders or a slump from Kim could reopen everyday work for Conforto, but he may lose some playing time in the short term as they ride the hot hand.
Give Rushing some reps out there!
How dare they play him in OF again, hes played both middle infield positions already. Kim should find an interpreter and speak out against this travesty publicly…
DFA Conforto, move Mookie back to right, Teo to left, Kim at second. Problem solved.
I think moving Mookie back to the outfield will get his bat going again, I feel like he needs some rest from the infield.
Maybe Freddie can move to the OF. His bat’s been pretty cold lately too.
Edman is a far better CF but is playing 2nd because of a nagging foot problem. I expect he and Kim will switch once that’s better. Thank goodness the forbearance for Conforto has ended. I was worried would last until the All Star Break.
If Conforto is going to sit, I’d rather see Edmon in CF and Kim at 2B, even before what we saw tonight.
Agreed-assuming you mean Edman’s drop on Muncy’s low throw (?)-yet I wonder if Teoscar’s preference for RF is more than a small factor.
LAD best OF alignment is Teoscar in left, Edman in center, and Pages in right. But Pages has improved in CF.
I hope Conforto turns it around and gets flipped at deadline, but unlikely.
Can they make ohtani go to outfield when he isn’t pitching so that DH is an option for the dodgers
He already has the hardest job in the game. You’re gonna make him run down balls now too?
Ohtani would have a cannon for right field
Conforto at the end of the leash now….
It’s getting there. Earlier in season, he was making hard contact and getting fairly unlucky. But Conforto in the box has had more shade than June gloom.
Dodgers still have Outman and Rushing for the outfield; plus the other up and comers like Josue. So Dodgers can afford to trade Pages to the Mariners please, thank you very much.
Ignorant….I’m assuming you’re joking, why trade a player in his 2nd full year whose ceiling is still rising?
That would be the imprudent FO move; in case you haven’t noticed, Andrew Friedman is a fairly astute PoVO.