In theory, the contest is a three-dog race, with World Series starter Miguel Rojas, second-year KBO star Hyeseong Kim, and developmental success story Alex Freeland duking it out for the honor, as peripheral options like Santiago Espinal are likely left on the outside looking in.

Sure, the Dodgers could always pull a Dodgers, with Andrew Friedman trading a player, pick, or even just cash considerations to bring in another body as either a stopgap, a platoon player, or a certified star for years to come, but considering the sheer breadth of talent already on the roster, that likely makes anything other than a Jack Suwinski-level waiver claim unnecessairy to fill the ninth spot in the batting order.

No, unless things shake out LA’s way, the team will likely move forward with internal options as Edman works his way back from surgery, which means that either Rojas, Kim, or Freeland, likely in a platoon of some sort, will be responsible for holding things down at second base until the team returns to the full strenth at some point down the line.

But who should it be? Well, while both Freeland and Rojas shined in 2025, with the former looking really good at times in place of Max Muncy at third base and the latter making multiple huge plays in the World Series to bring the trophy home, if the Dodgers want to get better both now and for the forseeable future, they need to see if Kim can be more than just an occasional energy guy relegated to base stealing duties in the postseason.

 The Dodgers need Hyeseon Kim to become a player in 2026

On paper, Kim actually had a very encouraging rookie season for a player who immediately jumped to the majors without first playing for an American minor league team.

Appearing in 71 games largely due to injury, Kim turned in an encouraging first season at the plate, recording 45 hits, 17 RBIs, and three home runs to go with a .280/.314/.385 line. While Kim didn’t show a ton of power, he was able to make contact, which is key for bottom-of-the-lineup guys hitting in front of Shohei Ohtani, and did show an ability to get himself extra bases when afforded a chance, recording 13 stolen bases versus just one time being caught stealing.

Factor in some really good plays in the field, both at second base and in center field, and there’s a lot to like about Kim’s efforts overall in 2025, even if he did miss much of the summer with injury.

There was, however, one key factor that kept Kim as the low man on the Dodgers’ playoff roster, appearing in just two games during the World Series run: Dave Roberts’ trust.

Because Kim was a rookie, albeit a 27-year-old rookie with four KBO Golden Gloves on his resume, he did make the occasional lapses in judgment both at the plate and in the field. There were time where he dropped easy catches, nearly ran into teammates because he didn’t call for a ball, and just generally had to adjust to the speed and style of the MLB game. As a result, when it mattered, Roberts would often turn to Edman, Rojas, or Kike Hernandez to play the spot between Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts due to their experience.

Fortunately for the Dodgers, there is a way for Kim to more than double his pre-existing experience at the Major League level and show whether he’s either the future at second base – or in center field – or the type of expendable asset who could be moved at the trade deadline in a package for a more Roberts-friendly player: win the starting second base spot in Edman’s absence.

If Edman is just gone for half of the season, that’s 81 games. While the Dodgers will absolutely give Rojas and Freeland, assuming he makes the roster, games at second, third, and occasionally shortstop, if Kim can simply play in 80 percent of those contests, he will add 65 to his career total, bringing the number of career MLB games to 136, with his at-bats easily over 300 overall.

Will the Dodgers know if Kin is a long-term fit by the time he’s hit that threshold? More likely than not, the answer is yes.

Could Kim end up topping out as a solid depth piece who never fully becomes an everyday starter in place of Edman, Andy Pages, or any other member of the team’s usual lineup, for that matter? Sure, international players don’t always find their MLB footing, and players will slump in their second year just as often as they take a leap forward. But because Edman won’t be able to play no matter what, the Dodgers owe it to themselves to find out what kind of player Kim can be and either take advantage of his development or look for other options before the trade deadline.