Dave Roberts has easy decision to make for Dodgers, and he needs to do it now

Hyeseong Kim has brought an undeniable spark to the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup since he was called up just over a month ago. But manager Dave Roberts remains hesitant to play him every day despite his utter dominance at the plate.

Kim is slashing .403/.439/.581 with a 1.020 OPS over 28 games in the big leagues. He's struck out 14 times and doesn't walk much, but he's been an on-base machine in the ninth spot in LA's order, which sets up Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts to do what they do best. He's scored 13 runs, including two off of homers, and he's a reliable primer for the top of the Dodgers' order.

Kim was initially called up to replace Tommy Edman on the roster during his May 10-day injured list stint. The 26-year-old is still justifying his playing time well after Edman's return, and there's a good argument that he should be playing every day.

Roberts has been hesitant to start Kim against lefty pitchers and has instead favored veteran righty bats like Kiké Hernández and Miguel Rojas. Kim has recently started getting more opportunities against southpaws and has made good on them — he knocked an RBI double off Padres lefty Yuki Matsui on June 9, a game the Dodgers went on to win. It was his third hit off a lefty in three opportunities.

Dave Roberts needs to keep Hyeseong Kim in the Dodgers' lineup every day

It shouldn't be too hard for the Dodgers to justify playing Kim on a more regular basis. He's not the best defender, with a negative three defensive range according to Baseball Savant, but he's versatile. There is absolutely an argument to play Kim at second base over Rojas, who's slashing just .215/.247/.280 in 40 games this season. Kim could also slot into the outfield instead of Michael Conforto, who's been disappointing offensively this year. Conforto is batting .173/.316/.270, but still plays almost every day.

Kim is also electric on the base paths, boasting 86th percentile speed. He's stolen six bags, and he's much faster and a bigger threat to opposing pitchers than any of the veterans he might overtake in the lineup.

The Dodgers just slid into first place in the race to the top of the highly competitive National League West. If they hope to stay there, fielding their best team every day should be of the utmost priority. That team includes Kim when he's hitting this well, even if that means benching some struggling veterans.