Kim Hye-sung equals Dodgers' Los Angeles rookie record of 9 hits on base, how will he stay in the major leagues

With continued high-profile performances, Hyeseong Kim is sprinting to extend his major league journey. Between Wednesday's win over the Athletics and Friday's 6-2 home defeat to the Angels, the South Korean infielder hit nine consecutive bases, hitting seven hits (including a career first in the major leagues) and earning two free runs to five points in the process. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Kim tied with Corey Seager in 2015 and tied for the record holder for the longest streak of a rookie in franchise history since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958. That record ended on Friday with eight innings, when Kim Hye-sung hit first base and rolled the ball out.

The former KBO star posted a career-high 0.452 batting average (31-to-14 hits) in his first 13 games in the major leagues, contributing nine points and five RBIs. Dave Roberts, the head of the Dodgers, lamented: "He's like a magic wand right now, and every time he gets on the court, he picks the ball well, and when he gets the ball into the court, good things happen." "

The Dodgers were on a hot spot before being overpowered by Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz in the opening game of the Highway Series – which Roberts attributed to a late boom. Key stats reveal: In the first 17 games of the season, trailblazer Shohei Ohtani had just seven points on the lap. Kim Hye-sung has shown the ability to change the tide of the game in a small sample size, and in addition to running back to score on Ohtani's 29 points this season, Kim Hye-sung has been escorted back to home plate the most times (five). With the exception of Kim Hye-sung and Michael Conforto (twice), Ohtani did not send more than one point to his teammates. As fate would have it, after Kim Hye-sung's streak of consecutive home runs came to an end, Ohtani hit the No. 16 home run leading the major leagues against his old club in nine innings.

After joining the Dodgers on a three-year, $12.5 million contract last offseason, Kim Hye-sung got her start with Triple-A Oklahoma City. With Tommy Edman on the 10-day injury list due to right ankle inflammation, he received a major league call-up on May 3. Although Roberts initially said it was only a temporary substitute role, Kim Hye-sung used an all-around performance on both ends of the floor (0.452 batting average, 3 steals, and seamless switching between second-game defenses) to leave the Dodgers with a choice — should the 26-year-old keep the rookie when he returns from injury?

"It's hard to get immediate results after changing the move," says Kim, who translates it to Joe Lee, "and it takes time to adjust." I followed the team guidelines and gradually found my rhythm. The easiest thing to do is to delegate Kim Hye Sung to a triple A with James Outman, but that could mean sacrificing veterans like Chris Taylor or Miguel Rojas. The deeper question is: For Kim Hye-sung's growth, is it better to stay in the major leagues as a substitute or to start in triple-A daily? With the recent promotion of top rookie Dalton Rushing to the major leagues, Dodgers clearly believe that major league experience is crucial to player development.

"You can argue that Dalton should play in the triple-A day," Roberts said, "or you can argue that Kim needs more playing time or think it's more beneficial to stay in a major league environment." In this regard, Kim Hye-sung treated it indifferently: "I only focus on the game. Standing on the court and going all out on base, it is difficult to predict what the future will be. "