Ha-Seong Kim advances rehab to Triple-A Gwinnett, nears Braves return

Atlanta pushed Ha-Seong Kim’s rehab assignment to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday, putting the Braves’ expected shortstop back on a bigger stage and closer to a return that now looks increasingly close. Kim was set to join the Stripers at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia, for the opener of a six-game road series, his first game with Gwinnett and only his second career Triple-A stint.

That is the part Braves fans should watch most closely: not the transaction line, but the baseball. Kim entered the Gwinnett stop after going 3-for-9 with three runs scored and one stolen base in four games with Double-A Columbus, where he began his rehab on April 29 after landing on the injured list March 25 with a right middle finger laceration and torn tendon. The swing looked functional in Columbus, and the next test is whether it keeps playing against more advanced pitching while the workload climbs.

The checklist is straightforward. First, the bat. Kim’s brief Double-A sample produced a .333 average, but Gwinnett will tell more about his timing, his ability to handle velocity and whether he can stack quality plate appearances instead of merely surviving them. A player with 588 career major league games and a Rawlings National League Gold Glove Award from 2023 does not need a reminder of the strike zone. He needs game speed, and this trip to Norfolk will show whether he is getting it back.

Then comes the glove. Kim’s value to Atlanta is tied to shortstop, and the question now is whether his first-step movement, transfer and throwing rhythm look like the player the Braves signed to a one-year, $20 million deal in December. Braves manager Walt Weiss said the club would steadily increase Kim’s workload during rehab, so each inning at short carries more weight than the last.

The calendar matters, too. A position player can remain on rehab assignment for up to 20 days, which leaves Kim needing to be activated by May 19 if he avoids setbacks. MLB.com has reported that Atlanta expects him to reclaim the starting shortstop job once he is ready, a move that would send Mauricio Dubón back into a utility role. If Kim’s bat travels and his range at short holds up at Gwinnett, the Braves may be nearing the point where the rehab assignment stops being a ramp-up and starts looking like the final stop before Atlanta.