'Oh my gosh' LAD Kim Hye-sung 'starting lineup' disappeared, horror 1→2→3→4 Dodgers nuclear bomb-class lineup realized

*This content was translated by AI.

LA Dodgers utility player Kim Hye-sung (27) was not listed in the starting lineup expected for the opening game.

MLB.com , the official website of the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB), unveiled the starting lineup and starting rotation of 30 big league teams on the 10th (Korea time).

The media predicted the Dodgers' starting lineup in the order of Shohei Ohtani (designated hitter), Kyle Tucker (right fielder), Mookie Betts (striker), Freddie Freeman (first baseman), Will Smith (catcher), Max Muncy (third baseman), Teoscar Hernandez (left fielder), Andy Parz (center fielder), and Miguel Rojas (second baseman).

"The Dodgers have not yet decided which batting order to put Tucker in," the media said. "It would not be surprising if he took the second batter."

"As Tucker joined, the lineup added more strength. On top of that, if Tommy Hyun-soo Edman, who underwent surgery on his right ankle, opens on the injured list (IL), Rojas is likely to join the competition for second baseman.

It's a pity that Kim Hye-sung's name is missing. Kim Hye-sung, who entered the Major League ahead of the 2025 season, played his role in the Dodgers. In 71 games in the 2025 season, he played a batting average of 0.280 (45 hits in 161 at-bats), three homers, six doubles, one triple, 17 RBIs, 19 runs, seven walks, two strikeouts, a 13 steals (1 failed) on-base percentage of 0.314, a slugging percentage of 0.385 and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.699.

Furthermore, Kim Hye-sung was on the roster of all postseason games last year, from the National League Wild Card Series to the Division Series (NLDS, best-of-five), the Championship Series (NLCS, best-of-seven), and the World Series (WS, best-of-seven). In the fourth game of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies, he played as a substitute in the 11th inning of overtime and scored the winning goal. In the end, he finally enjoyed the joy of winning the World Series with his Dodgers teammates.

However, Kim Hye-sung is not yet a clear starting member of the Dodgers. He played only two games in the postseason last year. He already proved his skills, but he has to show good performance again in the spring camp. In the end, the Dodgers must win a fierce competition to occupy the main position.

The Dodgers are currently committed to rehabilitation after Edman, the main second baseman, underwent surgery. In November last year, he underwent surgery on his right ankle, which he suffered from chronic pain. Fabian Ardaya, a reporter in charge of the Dodgers at the time, said on his social networking service (SNS), "It is expected that he will not be able to return until the spring camp begins."

Dodgers Nation, a U.S. media outlet that mainly deals with Dodgers news, also said about Edman last month, "It may not be easy to be with him with the 2026 season (Dodgers' Tommy Edman Not Be Available For Start of 2026 Season)," adding, "He had ankle surgery early in the offseason and is currently recovering, and he could miss the early 2026 season. It was initially expected to return at the beginning of the season, but it does not seem easy. "Even if you look at the recruitment of Andy Ibanez, another infielder, it tells you another current situation for the Dodgers," he explained.

"After suffering an ankle injury in 2025, the Dodgers excluded him from the center field position. Therefore, it is highly likely that he will play second base in the 2026 season. With Ibanez's recruitment, the Dodgers have four second baseman candidates. The four people mentioned here are Edman, Kim Hye-sung, Ibanez, and Rojas. Furthermore, Alex Freeland is one of the infield contenders.

Edman played in 97 games in the 2025 season and had a batting average of 0.225 (78 hits in 346) with 13 homers, 13 doubles, one triple, 49 RBIs and 49 runs, three steals (one failure), 61 strikeouts on 19 walks, an on-base percentage of 0.274, a slugging percentage of 0.382 and an on-base percentage of 0.655. Although he did not show destructive performance in attack, he gained the trust of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts by showing a leaky performance on the defense side. It has already agreed to a five-year, $74 million extension contract by 2029.

Along with Edman's injury, some predicted that Kim Hye-sung might play as the opening starting second baseman. However, his name could not be found on the opening starting list predicted by MLB.com this time.

In addition, MLB.com mentioned the Dodgers' expected starting rotation in the order of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Emmett Sheehan and Rocky Sasaki. "The biggest question is whether Snell will join the opening game," he said. "If that's difficult, Gavin Stone or River Ryan will take Snell's place. Even if Snell fails to join the opening game, it has the potential to be one of the best rotations in Dodgers history."

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*This content was translated by AI.