With Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernández both sidelined to begin the regular season, the second base position looks open for the taking on paper. So far this spring, Hyeseong Kim is proving to the Dodgers that he is the guy to get the nod.
Kim added another highlight to his already impressive spring with a home run against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, and he is hitting a remarkable .462 (6-13) this spring while flashing the leather both at second base and in center field. His hot spring will be coming to an abrupt end soon, as he is set to join Team Korea in the World Baseball Classic.
Instead of looking back fondly at the numbers he displayed over a short period of time this spring, Kim is focused on contributing consistently in the regular season, notes Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
“I don’t think there’s any full satisfaction that comes from [spring results],” Kim said. “I’m just trying to focus on the things that I’m working on. Just working on my movement quality and my swing mechanics. And, yeah, just try to play every day, and hopefully it shows during the season.”
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Tyler Glasnow impressed in his first start of the spring, tossing 33 pitches over 2+ innings while giving up just one hit, striking out four and allowing no walks. The ultimate test this season will be if he can stay healthy, something that has alluded him since being acquired by the Dodgers in late 2023, per Jack Vita of the Los Angeles Times.
“Pitching well and staying healthy,” Glasnow said when asked about goals. “Just doing all that and trying to make as many starts as I can, and just executing every start and being healthy in the postseason.”
So far this spring, eight of the nine regulars in the Dodgers starting lineup have appeared in at least one game this spring. The odd man out— Mookie Betts.
Dave Roberts noted that Betts will not be playing in any of the games this weekend, and it might be another week until Betts sees some playing time, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
“I wanted Mookie to start a little bit later as far as not getting into spring training ready to go, and kind of use spring training to build up given it’s six weeks,” Roberts said Thursday. “He’s building up nicely.”
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