The Atlanta Braves, after taking two of three from the Boston Red Sox, will open up a three-game weekend series against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday evening. The Braves are sending Grant Holmes to the mound, while the Reds will go with Chris Paddack (0-6, 6.86 ERA, 35 SO).
Before the Reds game and series kicks off, the Braves announced their lineup for Friday night’s contest, and it notably doesn’t feature Ha-Seong Kim for a second straight game.
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Ha-Seong Kim Absent from Lineup Again
GettyATLANTA, GEORGIA – MAY 13: Ha-Seong Kim #7 of the Atlanta Braves hits a single in the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Truist Park on May 13, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Underdog MLB announced the Braves’ lineup, via their X account:
Braves 5/29: R. Acuña Jr. RF M. Harris II CF M. Olson 1B O. Albies 2B D. Smith DH A. Riley 3B M. Yastrzemski LF J. Mateo SS C. Tromp C G. Holmes SP.
Manager Walt Weiss said this about Kim on Wednesday:
“I said this when he came back, it’s just so difficult,” Weiss said. “You don’t have a spring training, and when you’ve missed a lot of time for consecutive years — this game, these guys make it look really easy, but the game is extremely fast at this level. A rehab assignment does no justice to how fast this game is up here, so it just takes time to get caught up.”
It’s fair to blame Kim’s preseason injury for some of the struggles, but Weiss decided again not to include Ha-Seong Kim in the Braves order.
It seems as if the patience is starting to wear thin for the Braves and their decisions on Ha-Seong Kim.
CBSSports wrote (on Thursday): “Jorge Mateo will start at shortstop for Atlanta while Kim will head to the bench. After coming off the IL to make his season debut May 11, Kim has struggled to get it going at the plate, as he has gone 4-for-42 (.095 average) with just four runs and two RBI.”
Jorge Mateo has been hitting better than Kim, and that’s just the truth, so Atlanta is doing what it needs to in order to put the best product on the field.
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Ha-Seong Kim with the Braves…
GettyMIAMI, FLORIDA – MAY 21: Ha-Seong Kim #7 of the Atlanta Braves high fives teammates after being driven in during the fifth inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on May 21, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
It’s been a difficult start to the 2026 season for Ha-Seong Kim, and as a result, the Braves are going with different options at the shortstop position.
After being claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Rays in August of last season, Atlanta inked Ha-Seong Kim to a one-year, $20 million deal this season, and he’s played very on and off since making his season debut in May. Perhaps Kim needs more time to heal that hand.
Ha-Seong Kim is hitting .095 this season with zero home runs, two RBI, and 4 hits. He’s been with the Braves for 36 total games.
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