Why the Dodgers Sent Kim Hye-seong to the Minors Amid Injury Crisis

Daniel Kim 2026.05.31 Views

[MyDaily — Reporter Ryu Han-joon] The LA Dodgers optioned infielder Kim Hye-seong to the minors. The club made the roster move on the 30th (Korean time) ahead of its home matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium.

Kim was sent to the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate, the Oklahoma City Comets, while Santiago Espinal was recalled to fill his spot on the big-league roster.

MLB Trade Rumors (MLBTR), which tracks league transactions, reported that injuries to regular position players — including Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández — forced the Dodgers to retool their position-player depth.

MLBTR added that Kim is younger than Espinal and still has several years remaining on his contract. The Dodgers reportedly decided it would be more beneficial for Kim to get regular reps in Triple-A to maintain his timing, rather than occupy a short-term role on the major-league roster.

Both Espinal and Kim are classified as utility players capable of handling infield and outfield duties.

Espinal, a 1994-born Dominican Republic native, is five years older than Kim. Boston selected him in the 10th round (298th overall) of the 2016 MLB Draft, and he made his major-league debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2020.

He later spent time with the Cincinnati Reds. This season with the Dodgers, Espinal has appeared in 26 games and is hitting .220 (9-for-41) with one home run and four RBIs.

MLBTR noted that, like Kim, Espinal isn’t a standout hitter, but his ability to play both the infield and outfield gives the Dodgers valuable roster flexibility.

On the day Kim was optioned, the Dodgers beat the Phillies 4-2, fueled by four solo homers. Freddie Freeman (8th), Max Muncy (13th), Shohei Ohtani (10th) and Will Smith (6th) all went deep off Phillies starter Zack Wheeler.

Dodgers starter Justin Robleski delivered seven strong innings, allowing one hit (a solo homer), striking out nine and permitting one run to earn the victory — his seventh of the season (against two losses). Espinal did not appear in the game.

Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber ended Robleski’s no-hit bid in the top of the sixth with a solo shot, his 22nd of the year. The Dodgers improved to 37-20 with their sixth straight win and remain atop the National League West, while Philadelphia is 29-28 and sits second in the National League East.

Reporter Ryu Han-joon hantaeng@mydaily.co.kr