In the Japan vs Korea WBC 2026 game just two weeks ago, Shohei Ohtani was spotted running toward his Los Angeles Dodgers teammate Hyeseong Kim at Tokyo Dome. As Ohtani greeted him, the smile on Kim’s face again clarified why he named the two-way phenom as his “baseball bestie” back in May 2025.

Wanting to be “closer” to Shohei, even with Shotime as a mentor to him, the Dodgers decided to option their 2025 World Series champ to Triple-A just days before Opening Day. But the South Korean slugger was having a tremendous spring.

He was slashing .407/.448/.519 with a home run and six RBIs, but the Dodgers clearly had a different plan, which has left the fans unimpressed.

“The Dodgers optioned IF/OF Hyeseong Kim to Triple-A Oklahoma City,” the Dodgers’ official X handle shared the update.

It feels like the league is trending with such moves of late. The New York Yankees, too, demoted Jasson Domínguez to the minor leagues. But Kim’s performance is definitely better than that of Domínguez.

The $12.5 million second baseman who turned a double play against the Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series just got optioned. However, the writing was on the wall when the Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts, talked about Kim last week.

“We still haven’t seen Hyeseong a bunch. Alex, I think he’s taken great at-bats, the numbers, the surface line certainly isn’t there, but it’s still spring training.”

Kim likely had to make way for Alex Freeland at second base in place of injured Tommy Edman.

While Freeland batted only .116 in the Cactus League, he offers versatility as a switch-hitter. Plus, he walked as often as he struck out (11 in 56 plate appearances).

Yet, fans are unamused, especially with how Freeland is hitting this spring.

“Alex has been really impressive all spring,” Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes noted. “He’s worked really hard with our hitting group, and his swing looks great from both sides. He’s also displayed outstanding at-bat quality along with strong defense at multiple positions.”

Kim made his MLB debut in 2025 and batted the first month at .422! However, inconsistency hit him as he finished the season with a .280 average.

He made three skyshots in 71 games. Result?

Kim’s next stop is Triple-A. But for fans, the Dodgers might just have botched a second choice.

The Dodgers get called out by the fans

The Dodgers could give a chance to any other struggling names, but why not Kim? Fans wonder.

“Horrible decision, he deserves to start the season and given a chance like Dave gave Pages when he couldn’t hit to save his life,” one fan remarked. “He looked so good in Spring,” another added.

Andy Pages had a horrible postseason last year. Despite hitting 27 HRs at .272 in the regular season, Pages’ bat crashed to 0.78 across 16 playoff games. Still, Doc finalized him as the starting center fielder. So, fans wonder what led the Dodgers to make a different decision for Kim and Pages, especially when Kim sparked the spring with such an incredible .407 average.

“Kim should ask for a trade at this point, I assume he wants to be a starter, and there is zero chance of that happening with Dave not trusting him,” another user suggested. Even in 2025, Hyeseong Kim started in Triple-A before getting a call from the big leagues in May. As Dave Roberts wants to see more adjustment and consistency to address Kim’s plate-discipline issues, fans are taking it personally.

“If I hit over .400 with a 9-game hit streak and 2 hrs and 5 for 5 in stolen bases and got cut, I would ask to be released or traded or just quit,” another echoed the same thought.

Craig Kimbrel recently got demoted by the Mets to Triple-A. However, they acknowledged that they would consider releasing him if he preferred to seek Major League opportunities elsewhere. Dodgers fans think Kim should also opt for a different team if he could secure a spot on a major league roster elsewhere.

Kim has his own share of clutch performances, too.

In the 2025 NLDS Game 4, Kim entered in the bottom of the 11th inning and scored the series-clinching run. So, we assume more than distrust, Kim’s demotion may be because of the disadvantage of having a star-stuffed roster in the Dodgers.

“Trade or release him at this point. Disappointed with this decision,” agreed another.

Yet, for Roberts, Alex doesn’t have anything “left to prove.” Even though he acknowledged that this was “probably the toughest decision of the spring,” he believes this “gut punch” for Kim to develop more and Freeland to get the majority of the playing time at second base against right-handed pitching, platooning with right-handed hitting Miguel Rojas.

With mechanical adjustments made from the left side, Freeland seems all set for Opening Day. But if Hyeseong Kim can adjust his mechanics just like he did in 2025, we could see him back at LA in no time.