The Los Angeles Dodgers are just days away from Opening Day and, like every team around the league, had some key roster decisions to make. One of the biggest questions centered on starter Roki Sasaki, but manager Dave Roberts made it clear that Sasaki would start the season with the club.
“Asked Dave Roberts this week if Roki Sasaki was one of Dodgers best 13 pitchers this spring. ‘He is going to start the season in the rotation,’ Roberts said,” Dodgers beat writer Bill Plunkett wrote.
The other roster battle came down to Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland. The concern with Kim has been his swing. Ever since the World Baseball Classic, Kim has struggled with his mechanics, which was a major worry heading into camp.
“Kim’s swing remained a work in progress Sunday, when he had just one hit — a softly lined single, followed by a stolen base and run scored — in four at-bats in a spring training game against the Cubs. Now, he has just a week remaining in spring training to try to find a fix; hoping to show the Dodgers enough to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster,” New York Post’s Jack Harris wrote.
Ultimately, the Dodgers chose to keep Freeland on the roster to start the season, prioritizing giving Kim daily at-bats to refine his swing.
“Dave Roberts said the ‘driver’ behind the Alex Freeland/Hyeseong Kim decision was that the Dodgers felt Kim would benefit more from getting everyday at-bats in AAA right now,” Harris posted.
Kim is an elusive threat on the basepaths, but he can’t impact games if he doesn’t have his swing figured out. The second-year player has the potential to be a valuable role player for the Dodgers, but for now, he will need to wait.
With the roster set, the Dodgers are ready to begin the regular season and pursue a third straight World Series title. LA is in excellent position for another strong campaign, and it’s only a matter of time before Kim may be recalled.
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