The Atlanta Braves‘ handling of Ha-Seong Kim is extremely bizarre.
As Atlanta opens up a three-game series with the New York Mets on Monday, Kim is absent from the lineup again.
The Braves decided to activate Kim off the IL, release SS Jorge Mateo, and then opt to play Jim Jarvis as shortstop pretty much every day. Weird.
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Ha-Seong Kim Riding Pine on Monday
The Braves are opting to start Jim Jarvis at shortstop again on Monday.
Since returning from the IL, Ha-Seong Kim has played just one game.
Here is the full Atlanta Braves batting order for 8/10, per @UnderdogMLB:
Braves 8/10: “D. Baldwin DH R. Acuña Jr. RF M. Olson 1B M. Harris II CF O. Albies 2B M. Dubón LF A. Riley 3B J. Jarvis SS S. Murphy C B. Elder SP”
D. Baldwin DH R. Acuña Jr. RF M. Olson 1B M. Harris II CF O. Albies 2B M. Dubón LF A. Riley 3B J. Jarvis SS S. Murphy C
B. Elder SP
Some notables include Sean Murphy forming a battery with SP Bryce Elder, and Jim Jarvis getting bumped one spot in the batting order. Austin Riley is also getting a bump in the order, and Drake Baldwin is back at DH for the series opener.
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Inside Ha-Seong Kim’s Struggles
It’s been no secret that Ha-Seong Kim has struggled mightily this season.
He recently missed about a month with middle finger inflammation.
It’s technically his second season with the Braves, but Atlanta inked him to a one-year, $20 million deal, which has been a large disappointment of a contract decision.
Kim has just five hits in 75 at-bats, and his OPS+ is a *non-believable* -32. Yet, instead of holding onto Jorge Mateo, who had much better offensive stats, the Braves are continuing to roll with Kim as the backup for now, but the Braves may want to claim an infielder off waivers and then just cut ties with Kim because he’s sort of hogging a roster spot.
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