'Kim Ha-seong's miserable situation': Even as a competitor went to the minors, there was no spot for him; even utility players who played in the outfield have surpassed GG's shortstop

*This content was translated by AI.

Although a competitor has been sent down to the minor leagues, Kim Ha-seong (31, Atlanta Braves) has not regained his spot. He is now in a position where he must yield the starting shortstop role even to utility players who primarily played in the outfield this summer.

On the 25th (Korean time), Atlanta officially announced via its social media channels that it had called up outfielder Brewer Hicklen (30) to the major leagues and optioned infielder Jim Jarvis (26) to Triple-A Gwinnett.

Jarvis was viewed as an alternative to Kim Ha-seong's poor performance and received opportunities for a while after making his big league debut this season. He was a direct competitor who consistently received starting shortstop chances even after Kim Ha-seong returned from the injured list (IL). However, he also struggled with a .207 batting average in 38 games (111 at-bats, 23 hits), one home run, 11 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.564.

Eventually, the opportunity even went to Mauricio Dubón (32), a super utility player who had been working as an outfielder. Dubón is a resource capable of playing all infield and outfield positions and has previously played 153 games and 1,055⅔ innings at shortstop. Although his career fielding percentage of 0.972 is not particularly high, his batting is not bad compared to his competitors. This year, while handling various positions, he posted a .268 batting average in 124 games (462 at-bats, 124 hits), 10 home runs, 62 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.708, fulfilling the same role that Kim Ha-seong did during his time with San Diego.

Local media outlets analyze that filling the infield vacancy left by Jarvis with outfielder Hicklen is linked to Dubón's move to the infield. Grant McCully, who works for the Atlanta-area media outlet Falcon Radio Network, said of this move: "Although Dubón played in the outfield for a significant portion of this summer, this signals that he will take on the role of starting shortstop moving forward."

This is particularly painful for Kim Ha-seong. According to McCully, Kim has appeared in four games since returning from the IL about three weeks ago, with only one start. Since the 15th, he has not played in any games at all. In his recent 45 at-bats, he has recorded just one hit.

The batting slump is too deep to create a turning point. Kim Ha-seong has managed only a .066 batting average (76 at-bats, 5 hits), four RBIs, an on-base percentage of 0.165, a slugging percentage of 0.066, and an OPS of 0.231 in 31 games this season. Among non-pitcher batters with more than 85 plate appearances, both his batting average and slugging percentage are the lowest in major league history. All five of his hits are singles; he has no extra-base hits.

This is a scenario completely different from what Atlanta had hoped for. Ahead of the 2025 season, Kim Ha-seong signed a two-year, $29 million (approximately 40.1 billion won) contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. Even amid injuries, he exercised his opt-out after the season, and Atlanta invested another $20 million (approximately 27.6 billion won). However, before spring training, he slipped on an icy road in Korea, rupturing a tendon in his right middle finger and undergoing surgery. MLB.com, the official major league website, had previously stated that "Atlanta had envisioned a healthy Kim Ha-seong as their starting shortstop."

After making his major league debut with San Diego in 2021, Kim Ha-seong enjoyed a career-high season in 2023 with 17 home runs, 60 RBIs, and 38 stolen bases. He also became the first Asian infielder to win a Gold Glove (in the utility category), leading some to estimate he could command a contract worth up to $100 million (approximately 1.383 trillion won).

But three years later, despite his direct competitor being sent down to Triple-A, he finds himself in a miserable situation where he is not even the first candidate considered for the next starting role.

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*This content was translated by AI.