The Atlanta Braves took an impressive series win against the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend, winning two of three games on the road against the defending World Series champions.
If there were any lingering doubts about the Braves being fully back as contenders for a championship this season, they were silenced. Atlanta is 28-13, sitting comfortably in first place in the National League East and holding the best record in baseball.
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And the best team in the league is starting to get healthier. on Monday, the Braves shared an update regarding infielder Ha-Seong Kim, who has been out all season after suffering a torn tendon in his right hand when he slipped on ice during the offseason in South Korea.
“The #Braves today returned INF Ha-Seong Kim from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the injured list, and placed OF Eli White on the 7-day concussion IL,” the team wrote on X.
After missing all of spring training, Kim completed a rehab assignment with Double-A Columbus and Triple-A Gwinnett and will now make his return to the active roster.
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Atlanta is off on Monday, but Kim will make his 2026 debut in Tuesday’s series opener against the Chicago Cubs. Outfielder Eli White has been placed on the 7-day concussion list in a corresponding move. White made an impressive catch on Sunday but sacrificed his body crashing into the wall, forcing him to head to the IL.
As for Kim, this will be his first full season with Atlanta. He finished the 2025 season with the Braves after being claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays in August following his DFA.
Kim posted a .253 batting average, .316 on-base percentage and .684 OPS with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 24 games for Atlanta. His excellent defense up the middle convinced the Braves to sign him to a one-year, $20 million deal as a free agent this winter.
Kim’s return will cut into the playing time for both Jorge Mateo and Mauricio Dubon, though Mateo is likely to be affected the most. Mateo has played exclusively at shortstop this season, while Dubon is a true utility player capable of moving all over the diamond and into the outfield.
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Dubon has also been the better hitter of the two, making him more likely to remain in a flexible role. For a Braves team already performing at an elite level, adding Kim’s defense and experience only strengthens a roster that looks like a serious World Series contender.