The Atlanta Braves seemingly fixed their shortstop issue by bringing back Ha-Seong Kim on a one-year, $20 million deal. However, the Braves made the announcementon Sunday that Kim will miss the next 4-5 months due to a hand injury he sustained in Korea. The Braves acquired Kim off waivers from the Rays in 2025, and he became their everyday shortstop for the last handful of games in 2025.
Via Atlanta’s X post, he has already undergone successful surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right middle finger. Again, the expected injury return timeline is approximately four to five months, which would mean Kim could be available sometime between late May and mid-June.
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Braves to be Without Ha-Seong Kim for 4-5 Months
With Spring Training under a month away, the Braves have been dealt bad news already on the injury front. The team will be without infielder Ha-Seong Kim for an extended period of time, and this would put utilityman Mauricio Dubon in line to start at shortstop to start the season.
It took the Braves 140+ games to receive a home run from a shortstop on their roster last season, and the player to finally hit one was Ha-Seong Kim, who was picked up in August.
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Kim hit three home runs over 24 games played with the Braves last season. This is a tough blow to Atlanta’s infield depth because after Kim and Dubon, it gets rather thin in terms of internal options. The Braves have a solid infield that consists of Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, and Austin Riley, but shortstop has been a position of concern ever since Dansby Swanson departed via free agency.
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Should the Braves Add an Infielder?
The Atlanta Braves might become suitors for a lot of low-cost infielders after this injury news. Atlanta doesn’t necessarily need to go out and acquire an infielder, but considering that the National League is deep and competitive, it’s not going to help having another big hole in the lineup.
Dubon is a good fielder, but former Braves shortstop Nick Allen was also a great defender. Atlanta traded Nick Allen for Mauricio Dubon in a player-swap deal back in November, so the value is very comparable. Dubon hit seven home runs in 133 games last season with the Houston Astros.
It’s unclear at this moment what else the Braves might do with the remaining weeks of the MLB offseason, and although this is not a great start, Atlanta still projects well on paper with its other roster pieces.
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Braves’ $20 Million Infielder to Miss 4-5 Months with Hand Injury