The Braves announced this afternoon that infielder Ha-Seong Kim he injured his hand while in South Korea and had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right middle finger. The procedure was performed today in Atlanta and the expected recovery time is 4 to 5 months, per announcement. Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports that Kim was injured after falling on the ice.
It’s a brutal revelation for the Braves, who said Kim was fired from the Rays back in September in hopes of luring him to Atlanta for the 2026 season. While he opted out of his player option for the 2026 campaign, he ended up re-signing with the Braves on a one-year, $20MM contract in December. Bringing Kim back into the fold was one of their biggest splashes this winter, along with the addition of Robert Suarez behind the barn. Kim also thought he would face the biggest weakness in their entire lineup; The team’s wRC+ of 54 at shortstop last year was dead last in the majors, and their 0.4 fWAR at the position bested only the Rangers and Rockies. When healthy, Kim is a reliable three-to-four hitter thanks to his near-league average belt and impressive defense.
Unfortunately, “if you are well” is becoming a key phrase when discussing Kim’s work. He suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder in August of 2024 that brought his time with the Padres to an abrupt end, leaving him sidelined to continue the run and the Padres’ efforts to get past the World Champion Dodgers in a hotly contested NLDS loss to San Diego in five. The Rays had enough faith in his talent to sign Kim to a two-year deal last winter, even knowing he would miss the first few months of the season while undergoing surgery on his aforementioned torn labrum. That gamble didn’t pay off. Kim didn’t make his Rays debut until after the All-Star break last year as his recovery from surgery took longer than expected, and he ended up back on the disabled list multiple times with back and calf injuries.
Kim appeared to be a lock to pick up his 2026 player option when Atlanta was fired, but a strong showing in the Sept. 24 games against the Braves convinced him to test the market. That turned out to be a smart decision, as the Braves ended up paying him back at a higher salary than he would have if he had just picked up his $16MM option. Although the deal cost Atlanta an additional $4MM, it was easy to see why they would want to gamble on a player of Kim’s talent, especially given their immediate needs and the small market for the rest of the roster. Kim can certainly help revitalize what was a sluggish offense last year by providing a major upgrade at shortstop. Nick Allenwho was traded to Houston earlier this winter.
Now they will have to wait to feel that impact until the end of the first half, at the very beginning. The end of Kim’s early recovery will have him back on the field in mid-May, but he may need more time to ramp up after missing Spring Training and spending most of last year on the injured list. For now, the Braves have a utility man Mauricio Dubon to turn to them as their daily stop. Dubon is missing as a daily routine but should be a decent filler option. Losing his versatile glove to the bench puts pressure on the entire roster, and Atlanta’s offense that looked complete this morning could clearly use another addition, even if that player is a depth option.
To bring someone like him Isiah Kiner-Falefa getting into the bullpen could help stabilize things, but after the Braves increased their payroll by nearly $50MM this winter (according to RosterResource) with the additions of Kim, Suarez, and Mike Yastrzemski it’s hard to say if there’s room in the budget for that kind of signing at the mid-level. The market for shortstop relief is very thin at this point, but perhaps a deep signing like that Jorge Mateo can help fill the roster until Kim returns. Of course, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is known for his creativity and could look to explore the trade market for help. Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner has been widely discussed in trade rumors this winter, especially after the team’s recent signings Alex Bregmanand has played shortstop well in the past. The Mets have an infield talent pool pressed by the Bo Bichette deal, but it’s unclear if the team would be willing to trade someone like him Ronny Mauricio or Luisangel Acuna within the category.
