What constitutes a signing working out or not is open to different interpretations depending on who you talk to and who you’re talking about. Amidst a very busy offseason last year, one of the moves made by the Dodgers front office was to sign Hyeseong Kim from the KBO, committing to a three-year deal worth $12,5 million. Given the context of that deal, it’s hard to deny the fact that Kim was a successful addition, especially when you consider the necessary adjustments of a transition to the US.
Despite being signed to a multiyear deal, Kim did not start the year with the big league club after struggling to cement his place in spring training with underwhelming numbers. Due to the short two-game series in Tokyo before Opening Day, the Dodgers didn’t have as much time as virtually any other team to set up their active roster for those first regular-season games.
Kim’s performance in Triple-A looked like that of someone who proved he was capable of coming up relatively early but didn’t necessarily force the issue. In 47 games in the minors, Kim lived up to his scouting report as a high-contact hitter and even presented a bit more power with five home runs in 37 games. That being said, what really stood out about his game, and it ended up being something that translated to his time with the big league club, was his ability on the basepaths. Kim stole 14 bags on 15 tries in that short time in Triple-A.
The much-expected call-up came for him in early May as the Dodgers underwent their seasonal phenomenon of expecting and preparing to deal with a flurry of injuries and still having to scramble to deal with the sheer number of them that come their way. Having played some outfield in the minors, Kim’s versatility was key to helping replace the at the time injured Tommy Edman, and he could not have gotten off to a better start.
Earning five multi-hit games in his first dozen appearances, Kim started off red-hot in the big leagues, wrapping up his first month with a .422 batting average and 1.058 OPS in 48 plate appearances. Those numbers eventually came crashing down, and Kim’s struggles from July onward probably prevented him from having much of a role during the postseason. The one skill set that ended up playing through the whole year was Kim’s baserunning, with the utility man stealing 13 bags before he was caught for the first time in the final series of the year up in Seattle, when the Dodgers’ postseason path was already settled.
Treated as a platoon bat with 149 of his 170 plate appearances coming against right-handed pitches, Kim actually did a remarkable job in that very short sample versus southpaws, earning eight hits, including one of his three home runs. Primarily a second baseman, Kim also played a few games at shortstop and center.
2025 particulars
Age: 26
Stats: .280/.314/.385 71 G, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 6 2B, 19 R, 7 BB, 52 K, 95 wRC+, 0.8 fWAR
Salary: $2,5 million with a $1 million signing bonus
Game of the year
Back when the Dodgers hosted the Yankees on the 31st of May, they had one of their biggest wins in recent memory. Los Angeles beat New York 18-2, and their only two hitters with at least four hits were the eighth- and ninth-hole ones, Tommy Edman and Hyeseong Kim. With three runs and two RBIs, Kim had his most prolific game of the 2025 campaign.
Roster status
Kim is under contract for two more years, with the Dodgers holding team options for the following two.
