Manager Walt Weiss said Saturday that Kim (finger) has resumed taking batting practice, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Kim has been on the shelf since the beginning of the season as he finishes up his rehab from offseason finger surgery. Atlanta's skipper said that the team plans to have the 30-year-old shortstop begin playing in sim games Thursday, and he'll likely be sent out on a minor-league rehab assignment shortly afterward.
Atlanta placed Kim (finger) on its 10-day injured list Wednesday. Kim isn't expected to be ready to make his season debut until at least some point in the first half of May after he required surgery in January to address a torn tendon in his right middle finger. The 30-year-old reported to spring training March 16 to resume taking part in baseball activities, though he has yet to be cleared to resume swinging a bat. Mauricio Dubon is expected to serve as Atlanta's everyday shortstop while Kim is on the shelf.
Kim (finger) arrived at spring training Monday and said that he's been cleared to take part in fielding drills, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. After suffering a torn tendon in his right middle finger in an offseason accident, Kim underwent surgery Jan. 18 to address the injury and is facing an estimated recovery timeline of 4-to-5 months. Because he's mostly been limited to rehab work for the first two months post-surgery, Kim stayed home for the beginning of camp, but he's now far enough along in his recovery to start working out with the team again and increasing his baseball activities. Kim has yet to resume swinging a bat, which will be the major hurdle that he will need to clear before embarking on a rehab assignment. Once he's ready to return from the injured list, Kim is expected to take over as Atlanta's everyday shortstop, but Mauricio Dubon will likely fill those duties for at least the first month and a half of the season.