"Kim Hye-sung may not be able to play in the opening game of ML." Even the media were concerned about the daily LAD backup exhibition game, OPS 1.761 explosion

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Hye-sung (27), who left for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, is shaking his position. Santiago Espinal (32, LA Dodgers), who joined last month on a minor league contract, gave the green light to join the opening roster with an excellent batting sense.

Japanese major league columnist Natsuki Une said on the 7th, "The Los Angeles Dodgers are a team with a thick base of players. The path for a minor league contractor to enter the opening roster is quite difficult. However, Espinal is about to make that path a reality," he noted.

Espinal is a familiar player to Korean baseball fans as well, as he shared a tie with Ryu Hyun-jin (39, Hanwha Eagles) at the Toronto Blue Jays in the past. After his debut with Toronto in 2020, Espinal hit .261 (423 hits in 1619 at-bats) in 578 games with the Cincinnati Reds, hitting .261 (423 hits in 1619 at-bats) with 20 homers, 160 RBIs and 28 steals, and an on-base percentage of .316 slugging percentage of .349 OPS of .665.

After failing to show competitiveness, he declared FA when he was demoted to Triple-A during the season last year. This year, the spring camp just started on February 18thHe signed a minor league contract with Juss and was listed on the big league camp list.

However, since then, the appearance is quite a reversal. Some players, including Kim Hye-sung, are showing their presence while participating in WBC. He is dominating the early stages of exhibition games with a batting average of 0.625 (10 hits in 16 at-bats), two homers and eight RBIs, and an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of 1.125 OPS of 1.761.

On-site evaluation is also high. The Major League's official website, MLB.com , said, "With more than two weeks left in the trial game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts could play his own game. However, Espinal was impressive early on in both attack and defense," he said.

"I've had 10 hits in 16 at-bats so far, excluding 2 hits in 3 at-bats in a practice match with the Mexican WBC national team. In defense, he also played at first, second and third bases and showed versatility," he added.

This is the quality of super utility that the Dodgers wanted. Tommy Edman, who is currently playing that role for the Dodgers, left due to right ankle and Cicke Hernandez left due to elbow surgery. While they all expect to start the season with the injured list, the existence of Espinal, which can play both in the infield and outfield, is inevitable.

Roberts said on the 7th, "It's hard to imagine that Espinal is not in the team. He can play anywhere, second base, third base, corner outfield. In times of crisis, I think it is also possible to play shortstop. I can go out when I need a right-handed hitter," he said, hinting at joining the opening roster. Espinal is a smart player. I know how to become a major league player. While enjoying the play, he/she is focused," he/she praised.

Naturally, it was linked to the playing time of Kim Hye-sung, who plays the same utility player role. Natsuki Une said, "Considering that there are 13 Dodgers opening roster fielders, catcher Dalton Rushing, infielder Miguel Rojas and outfielder Alex Cole are almost definitive in the key eight players other than the second baseman. "Kim Hye-sung, Alex Freeland and Espinal are competing for the remaining two seats," he said.

"Kim Hye-sung and Espinal can defend the outfield, but Freeland has no outfield experience. In addition, Kim Hye-sung and Freeland have minor league options, Kim Hye-sung has 6 hits in 13 at-bats, and Freeland has 4 hits in 21 at-bats, including against Mexico, he explained Kim Hye-sung's comparative advantage.

Analysts say Kim Hye-sung will be behind in the competition with Espinal. Espinal's utility capabilities and the career shown are the basis. Natsuki Une said, "Spinal has played at least 92 games every year in five seasons since his second year in the major leagues. He was also selected as an All-Star in 2022, and he can play seven positions excluding catchers and center field.

"If the current trend continues, Kim Hye-sung and Espinal will join the opening roster, and Freeland will start in Triple-A. Depending on the situation, there is a good possibility that Espinal, not Rojas or Kim Hye-sung, will be listed as second baseman in the starting lineup for the opening game, he pointed out.

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*This content was translated by AI.