Ha-Seong

Kim

Kim tore a tendon in his right middle finger in January, and the initial prognosis is that he would be out for four-to-five months. This would put him on schedule or slightly ahead of it. He has not yet started hitting, and we don’t know what the injury will do to his power production, so he is still be left undrafted in all redraft formats.

Mark Bowman of MLB.com adds that Kim suffered the injury when he fell on ice while in Korea. He underwent surgery in Atlanta on Sunday to repair the injury. That means the slick-fielding 30-year-old won’t be available to help out the Braves until the end of May at the earliest estimate. In the meantime, the Braves are likely to slot in Mauricio Dubón as their starting shortstop.

Kim would have been guaranteed just $48 million, though bonuses probably would have pushed his salaries higher. It’s interesting that the A’s were willing to make such a commitment to a middle infielder, given that Jacob Wilson is locked in and top prospect Leo De Vries, the primary return in the Mason Miller trade, might be ready in 2027. Still, the A’s probably ought to commit at least a one-year deal to a starter at second or third. Right now, they have Zack Gelof, Max Muncy, Max Schuemann, Darell Hernaiz, Brett Harris and Michael Stefanic as possibilities at those two spots.

The deal is official. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that Kim turned down multi-year offers elsewhere to return to Atlanta, where he’ll serve as the club’s starting shortstop — pushing versatile Mauricio Dubón to a utility role — before re-entering free agency next winter in pursuit of a larger payday. The 30-year-old middle infielder, who turned down a $16 million player option last month to hit the open market, posted an underwhelming .234/.304/.345 slash line with five homers and six steals across 191 plate appearances split between the Rays and Braves this past season after working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. From a career-arc standpoint, Atlanta represents about as clean a runway as Kim could ask for to rebuild long-term value, offering everyday reps on a competitive roster without the immediate pressure of a long-term commitment. From a fantasy perspective, though, the bar at shortstop remains high enough that he profiles as more of a deeper mixed-league option with power/speed combo ceiling upside heading into next spring.

Kim is coming off a rough, injury-plagued season in which he hit .234/.304/.345 in 48 games with the Rays and Braves. He was significantly better with Atlanta to close the year, hitting .253/.316/.368 with three home runs and 12 RBI in 24 games. In his career, Kim has been a solid defender at shortstop and also shown the ability to play second base and third base. The Tigers have been using Zach McKinstry a lot at shortstop with Trey Sweeney not developing the way the team had hoped. That means the spot could be open for a free agent, like Kim.

The versatile 31-year-old was plucked from the Astros on Wednesday in a swap for Nick Allen. While the team would be thrilled with his defense at the position, Dubón posted a troublesome .644 OPS in 398 plate appearances with the Astros during the 2025 season. It sounded like nothing more than posturing, saying that the team was comfortable with Dubón there if they’re somehow unable to upgrade the position over the remainder of the offseason. One alternative could be reuniting with Ha-Seong Kim who declined his $16 million player option at the end of the season and hit the open market.

Kim signed his previous deal with the Rays knowing that he’d be unable to play at the beginning of the season after shoulder surgery. His recovery lasted longer than expected, and he didn’t perform as hoped after returning, which led the Rays to place him on waivers to be claimed by the Braves on Sept. 1. It’ll be interesting to see if Kim wants another similar deal now, giving him a chance to potentially go back on the market next winter. He could potentially command bigger dollars then than he would coming off a .234/.304/.345 season.

Kim struggled in his return from shoulder surgery, hitting .234/.304/.345 in 191 plate appearances for the Rays and Braves, but he was trending up some at the end of the year. Plus, it’s an uncrowded field at shortstop this winter, with Kim ranking second or third at the position behind Bo Bichette and maybe Trevor Story if he opts out of his deal. Even if teams would be wary of signing him to a long-term deal, Kim should be able to beat $16 million on a one-year deal.

Kim’s home run was his fifth of the season. The 29-year-old infielder hit a solo shot off Casey Mize in the fourth inning to put the Braves up 2-0. Kim would tack on a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning. He’s hitting .257 with a .710 OPS and 17 RBI this year.

All three hits were singles, but Kim needed some of those. He’s hitting .289/.349/.368 in 11 games since the Braves claimed him off waivers from the Rays.