{"id":678752,"date":"2026-04-19T00:34:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T00:34:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/678752\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T00:34:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T00:34:26","slug":"braves-finally-give-the-ha-seong-kim-injury-update-that-fans-have-waited-to-hear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/678752\/","title":{"rendered":"Braves finally give the Ha-Seong Kim injury update that fans have waited to hear"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ha-Seong Kim proved himself a Gold-Glove caliber shortstop\/second baseman with the Padres. He would have entered free agency looking for a long-term deal in 2024, but an injury ended his season early, and he took a pillow contract with Tampa. That course of events proved to work out pretty well for the Atlanta Braves, albeit with some bumps along the way.<\/p>\n

Kim didn\u2019t return to the majors until July and struggled at the plate. The Rays placed him on waivers in September, and the Braves claimed Kim<\/a>, hoping he\u2019d forego his player option for free agency and return to the club for 2026.<\/p>\n

Braves offseason gamble on Ha-Seong Kim is slowly being rewarded as he approaches rehab assignment<\/p>\n

Kim instead chose free agency, but returned to the Braves on a one-year, $20 million deal in December. A month later, the club\u2019s new shortstop required surgery due to a non-baseball-related injury. Injury updates were few, and the timeline for his return remained a vague<\/a> four to five months, until today\u2019s X-message from Mark Bowman<\/a>. <\/p>\n

“Ha-Seong Kim has been taking live BP, and he\u2019s scheduled to play in a sim game on Thursday. He could be ready to begin a rehab assignment within the next week or two.”<\/p>\n

Mark Bowman<\/p>\n

While still not specific, and barring a setback, the tone of the news points to his return in the first or second week of June.<\/p>\n

In Kim\u2019s absence, the Braves turned to Mauricio Dub\u00f3n<\/a> as their primary shortstop. Dub\u00f3n has provided much better defense than expected, and is currently batting .319\/.365\/.493\/.858, but the return of Kim would allow him to return to the super-utility role that earned him a Gold Glove with Houston.<\/p>\n

That’s a Wrap<\/p>\n

Kim\u2019s a glove-first shortstop; in his best season at the plate (2023), Kim batted only .260\/.351\/.398, and an average year before his first 2024 injury saw him post a .242\/.326\/.380. If Kim struggles, the Braves won\u2019t be afraid of inserting Dubon.<\/p>\n

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