The Braves got back in the win column Wednesday night, snapping a three-game skid with a victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. But even as Atlanta tries to steady itself after a rough June, one problem has only gotten louder: Ha-Seong Kim.
Kim’s season has gone nowhere at the plate, and the patience around him appears to be wearing thin. What started as concern in late May has turned into a real conversation about how long the Braves can keep waiting for a turnaround at shortstop.
“Sounds like the Braves may be approaching a crossroads with Ha-Seong Kim. The belief internally may still be there, but if this continues another couple weeks, it feels like a legitimate ‘what are we doing at shortstop?’ conversation is coming,” 680 The Fan’s Chris Dimino said.
The numbers explain why the noise has grown. Mark Bowman of MLB.com pointed out just how little Kim has produced this month and all season long.
“Ha-Seong Kim has hit .068 (5-for-71). One of his five hits was a squeeze bunt.
He went 4-for-31 (.129 BA) through his first nine games. He is hitless in his past 27 at-bats.
Sandy Leon, who was DFA’d on June 18, has more hits (2) this month than Kim (1),” MLB.com’s Mark Bowman posted.
Atlanta manager Walt Weiss has kept giving Kim chances, but the bat has not come around. On the Foul Territory podcast, Braves beat writer Jesus Cano said the club may not be able to keep waiting much longer.
“He's basically getting paid $4 million a hit. At some point, I don't know how long that leash can go,” Cano said.
The Braves entered the year expecting more from Kim after what he showed late last season. Instead, the offense has been stuck in place, and with Austin Riley also slumping, Atlanta can’t afford to keep another empty spot in the lineup.
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