Dodgers send Hyeseong Kim to Triple-A to reset his swing

Hyeseong Kim is headed back to Triple-A Oklahoma City with a clear mission: get his swing back before the Dodgers ask him to help them again. Manager Dave Roberts said Kim’s mechanics had drifted, leaving him with more swing-and-miss and a more tentative approach at the plate, and the club wants everyday at-bats in a lower-pressure setting to restore the timing and confidence that first made him look like a solution in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers optioned Kim on May 29, 2026, in a move that also brought back utility man Santiago Espinal, recalled Ryan Ward from Oklahoma City, placed Teoscar Hernández on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain and transferred Blake Snell to the 60-day IL to open 40-man roster space. Kiké Hernández’s return to the injured list with a left oblique strain had already shifted the infield picture, and Alex Freeland was expected to see more time at second base.

Brandon Gomes said the priority is simple: the organization wants Kim’s swing returned to the shape it had when he first reached the majors. That means tightening up swing decisions, improving contact quality and bringing back the aggression that disappeared as the slump deepened. The Dodgers are expected to build a plan with their hitting staff in Oklahoma City, where Kim will be asked to stack up ordinary game reps rather than battle for every plate appearance on the big league bench.

The demotion comes after a sharp slide from a player the Dodgers once viewed as a high-upside addition. Kim signed a three-year, $12.5 million deal in January 2025, with club options that could raise the total value to $22 million, after a decorated KBO career with the Kiwoom Heroes that included four Golden Glove Awards and a reputation for speed and versatility across second base, shortstop, center field and left field. He also flashed in spring 2026, hitting .407 with a .967 OPS, but even then the Dodgers wanted him to refine his strikeout rate.

Kim opened this season strong, hitting .314 with an .800 OPS over his first 26 games, but the next 17 games exposed how quickly the production had evaporated. He hit .174 with a .424 OPS over that stretch, then stumbled into late May with six hits in his last 40 at-bats, 16 strikeouts and an OPS of .377. He was 14-for-62 in May with no home runs and four RBIs. The Dodgers had also been encouraged earlier by a .346/.438/.385 line at Triple-A, and now they are betting another run in Oklahoma City can reset the bat before his next return to Los Angeles.