Hyeseong Kim might've saved himself as Mookie Betts inches closer to Dodgers return

The Dodgers have been without Mookie Betts for a few weeks now, and during that time they've turned to utility man Hyeseong Kim to help fill in alongside Miguel Rojas and Alex Freeland up the middle. The Dodgers have brought in more reinforcements for their utility mix since then, but that trio has remained the club's top choices for work at the big league level to this point.

Of that group, Rojas has always had the firmest grasp on a roster spot despite relatively few opportunities. His performance this year has been phenomenal. He's hit .341 with an .852 OPS in a part-time role, mostly being called upon against left-handed pitchers. That's left the young left-handed hitting duo of Kim and Freeland to get the bulk of playing time. Despite the Dodgers choosing Freeland for an Opening Day roster spot, however, Kim is the one who's impressed so far.

With his opportunity limited by the eventual return of Betts, Kim wasted no time in doing what he can to make a strong enough impression to remain on the roster after the future Hall of Famer reclaims his role as the club's everyday shortstop. It's still early in the season, of course, but Kim has looked like a much more complete player so far in 2026 than he ever did last year. His strikeout rate is down nine points, and his walk rate is up seven as he bats .296 with a .760 OPS.

By contrast, Freeland has yet to live up to the hype. Fans were surely hoping to see a step forward from the youngster when he was included on the Opening Day roster, but that simply hasn't materialized. He's striking out less often than he did in his cup of coffee last season, but still does so much too often. His numbers by both OPS and wOBA are in the same ballpark as last season, as well. That simply won't cut it in the majors, making Freeland the obvious choice to send down right now.

There's still plenty of time for things to change amid uncertainty over Mookie Betts's timeline

Of course, the one wrinkle in this seeming clear-cut decision is that no decision is being made just yet. Betts recently indicated to reporters (including USA Today's Gabe Lacques) that renewed oblique soreness while taking batting practice had led him to take a step back in his rehab. Betts also indicated that he hopes to resume hitting on the field soon, suggesting the setback might not be a significant one.

Even so, the news adds additional uncertainty to Betts's timeline for return. That uncertainty will put pressure on Kim to keep up the good work so he can remain in a good place in the batters' box by the time Betts is ready to be activated, while giving Freeland the opportunity to turn things around and prove himself worthy of sticking around after Betts returns.

Some of that work in proving himself may already be under way, as Freeland has begun to turn up the heat since the final game of the Dodgers' series in Colorado earlier this month. Since then, he's been hitting over .300 with an OPS in the same ballpark as Kim's 2026 numbers. If he can keep that up while playing strong defense at second base, the Dodgers might be willing to stick to their guns and keep him on the roster longer-term despite his slow start to the year.

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