Kim Hyeseong demoted to AAA, hits five today" Roberts: Demotion not a rejection of him

The 27-year-old Korean player Kim Hyeseong failed to secure a spot on the Los Angeles Dodgers' 26-man opening season roster and was demoted to AAA Oklahoma City. However, he responded strongly with an outstanding performance. Today, in an AAA game, Kim Hyeseong delivered a five-hit performance, once again drawing attention to his potential promotion to the major leagues.

Kim Hyeseong was in excellent form during this game, not only achieving five hits but also contributing one RBI and scoring four runs, including one double. Notably, he also managed two hits against left-handed pitchers in this match.

In fact, Kim Hyeseong showed impressive performance early in spring training, with 11 hits out of 27 at-bats, a batting average of .407, one home run, six RBIs, and five stolen bases, resulting in an overall OPS of .967. However, he struck out eight times and only walked once.

Additionally, during the World Baseball Classic, Kim Hyeseong's performance declined. Manager Dave Roberts also pointed out that his swing mechanics were temporarily "out of sync," ultimately leading the team to select Alex Freeland for the opening season roster.

On the other hand, the Dodgers also wanted to observe Freeland's performance in the major leagues. In the new season, Freeland played two games, totaling four at-bats with two hits, a batting average of .500, along with one home run and one RBI, achieving an overall OPS of 2.000.

"Freeland has already proven himself at AAA, and there's little left for him to prove. We wanted to give him a chance to see what he can bring to the team when facing right-handed pitchers," Roberts said.

It is worth noting that Roberts also emphasized again that this decision was not a rejection of Kim Hyeseong.

"This is absolutely not a rejection of Kim Hyeseong. We highly regard him, both as a player and a teammate, and look forward to his contributions to the team at some point in the future."