The Dodgers announced a round of camp cuts today, led by their decision on a possible option Hyeseong Kim in Triple-A. Striker Nick Senzelforeign player Jack Suwinskiand the handler Seby Zavala they were reassigned to minor league camp. That leaves the door open for an infield prospect Alex Freeland to make the roster for the Opening Day squad, and Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic confirms that Freeland has been notified that he has done so.
Freeland, 24, was selected by the Dodgers in the third round in 2022 and made his major league debut last year. A consensus top-50 prospect in the sport last season, the slugger hit best in Triple-A with a slash line of .263/.384/.451 (115 wRC+) in 106 games for Oklahoma City. Freeland hit 16 homers and 30 doubles while walking at a massive 16.3% clip and striking out 21.9% of the time. Those solid numbers didn’t translate into a cup of coffee in 29 games with Los Angeles this past year, however, as he hit just .190/.292/.310 in 97 trips to the plate.
Despite that rough start to his MLB career, Freeland will round out a Dodger bench that already includes Santiago Espinal, Dalton Rushingagain Alex Call. Call and Rushing count to work in pure bench roles, support the outfield and catch Will Smith respectively. As for Freeland and Espinal, however, they seem likely to share playing time in the secondary with the veterans Miguel Rojas to open the season, while also filling Mookie Betts again Max Muncy to the left side of the infield as needed. With both Enrique Hernandez again Tommy Edman on the injured list to open the season, there is plenty of room in the club’s outfield mix for Freeland to earn playing time in the early days of the 2026 campaign.
At least it’s surprising that this opportunity won’t go to Kim. The 27-year-old hit a solid .280/.314/.385 (95 wRC+) in 170 trips to the plate in a bench role for the Dodgers last year while manning second base, shortstop, and center field as needed. It seems the production during spring training didn’t affect LA’s decision regarding their final bench; Kim slashed .407/.448/.519 in 30 plate appearances this spring, while Freeland struggled in camp with a slim .116/.286/.233 line in 56 plate appearances. Jack Harris of the California Post notes that the Dodgers felt Freeland’s discipline (with 11 walks and 11 strikeouts) was impressive and that Kim struggled with his mechanics during and after his stint with South Korea in the World Baseball Classic.
It also appears that the decision to include Freeland is about getting him a chance and there is a clear picture of regular playing time. Edman is expected to start the year on the injured list, and while his stay may not be too long it could still allow Freeland to get some consistent MLB playing time for a few weeks. That would be difficult to find in the lineup once Edman is back on the shelf, and the Dodgers have sometimes struggled to pass due to a lack of opportunities in the past. If that’s the case, it’s not hard to imagine Kim being the one to fill the bench should Espinal or Rojas struggle or go on the injured list. Whatever the Dodgers’ exact reason, Kim will open the season in Triple-A for the second straight season and look to stay ready when the big league opportunity finally arrives.
