So far, so good as the Braves' shortstop recovers from his injury Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos Reveals Hopeful Update on Ha-Seong Kim

Originally posted on Atlanta Braves on SI
By Harrison Smajovits | Last updated Feb 13, 2026 2:30 PM ET

For what it's worth, the Atlanta Braves are starting to get some hopeful updates along with the setbacks. General manager Alex Anthopoulos said, via MLB.com's Mark Bowman, that Ha-Seong Kim's recovery remains on track.

The target return appears to be further ahead of when we expected to see him. They're now hopeful he returns in early May. Before, the timeline had him returning around mid to late May at the earliest, with sometime in June at the latest.

Kim is currently recovering from surgery to repair a tendon in his right middle finger. The injury was sustained while home in Korea in January. He signed a one-year, $20 million contract in December to return to Atlanta.

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Early on, both parties were interested in making a reunion happen. There was a lot that Kim liked about his short time with the Braves.

"Walt Weiss is a really good infield coach," Scott Boras, Kim's agent, said during the Winter Meetings. "And I think that anybody who enjoys defense would enjoy Walt."

In 24 games with the Braves last season, he batted .253 with a .684 OPS, three home runs and 12 RBIs. Both of the counting totals were more than what he had with Tampa Bay. Before he went hitless over the final series of the season, Kim was batting .289 with a .770 OPS. His performance was stronger than the overall numbers suggest.

This puts him on a similar timelone of when the Braves could get catcher Sean Murphy back as well. His projection as he recovers from hip surgery is May. If he progresss well, both could be back near the start of that month.

The Braves have brought in reinforcements at both positions to help stabilize their depth. In the infield, they added Jorge Mateo to back up Mauricio Dubón, who will now be the opening day shortstop. They've also added another utility option, Kyle Farmer, to the system on a minor league deal.

On the catching side, they signed Jonah Heim, and he was already working out with the team on the first day. He'll likely back up Baldwin to start the season and could serve as a third catcher after Murphy returns.

Along with the positive progression of Kim, the Braves expect Grant Holmes to be ready for opening day and have officially announced he'll be part of the starting rotation.