Hyeseong Kim Disappointed In Himself After 2026 Season

Kim enters an important year for both his future with the Dodgers and potentially his MLB career. The 2027 season is the final year of his three-year, $12.5 million contract before the Dodgers have club options in 2028 and 2029.

The Dodgers would certainly move on with another poor season from Kim, and there’s no guarantee he even makes it through the offseason in the organization.

If he hits like he did in 2026, other organizations may also just view him as just Minor League depth, putting a lot of pressure on him heading into the new season.

However, the Dodgers have open spots on their bench with Miguel Rojas retiring and Enrique Hernández reaching free agency with the club likely to move on. The additional roster spots could bode well for Kim’s chances of sticking around.

The Dodgers also need to get younger, and Kim will be just 28 years old entering the 2027 season. In addition, he provides a speed element to the roster that no one else does.

Kim’s ability to play the middle infield could also help his chances of sticking around with the Dodgers losing two infielders who served bench roles, but he would also compete with Freeland once again for that role.

But even with his speed and defensive ability, Kim still needs to hit to be on a Major League roster, and his production from 2026 won’t cut it.

In 2025, Kim was still a below-league-average hitter, but he had the benefit of the doubt after moving from South Korea to the United States and facing tougher competition. Now, Kim doesn’t have any excuses, and it’ll be up to him to prove himself as a Major Leaguer.

Dodgers working with Hyeseong Kim’s swing mechanics

Since signing Kim, the Dodgers have been working on his swing mechanics to develop more consistency and pop. That has been ongoing for two seasons now, and they believed his mechanics were the cause of some of his 2026 struggles.

An offseason of working on his swing and resetting could prove beneficial, but with the impending lockout, Kim will not be able to work with Dodgers hitting coaches once it begins, adding another obstacle.