The Braves thought they had a bridge at shortstop. Instead, they’ve got a problem that keeps getting uglier.
Ha-Seong Kim’s one-year, $20 million deal was supposed to buy Atlanta stability and maybe even some breathing room until the next wave of shortstops arrived. Instead, it has turned into one of those contracts that makes the original optimism feel almost embarrassing in hindsight. Kim hasn’t just struggled - he has been stuck in a season that has gone sideways in a hurry.
The numbers are brutal. Among hitters with at least 80 plate appearances, Kim is last in isolated power at .000, last in BABIP at .094, last in batting average at .066, next-to-last in on-base percentage at .165, last in slugging percentage at .066, last in wOBA at .126, tied for next-to-last in xwOBA at .207, and dead last in wRC+ with a 29 mark that barely seems real.
His four RBI don’t even lead the group of hitters with 80 or more plate appearances - four other players have fewer. That’s where this has gotten.
His last RBI came on June 3. Before that, his best stretch in comparison came in late May, when he had two RBI in a three-game span. That’s the sort of production line that tells the whole story without needing much decoration.
The injury side of it has made the whole thing even harder to watch. Kim slipped on ice in January, then later re-injured the same finger and spent another month on the shelf after a setback near the end of June.
He has not had a hit since June 3. Given the way the offseason deal was viewed after his 2025 season, maybe some skepticism was understandable.
But this level of collapse was not something anyone could reasonably have seen coming, especially with that January accident setting the tone.
Even with Kim’s season in the tank, Atlanta does not own the very worst shortstop production in baseball. Braves shortstops have combined for 0.7 fWAR, which is still a bottom-five figure, but it does mean four teams have gotten less out of the position.
The Braves have had to patch things together with Mauricio Dubón, Jim Jarvis and Jorge Mateo, though Mateo is no longer there. Dubón has helped keep things from falling apart, but he has been better defensively in the outfield than at shortstop.
Jarvis has offered defense, but the bat has lagged behind. It’s been a rough combination at one of the most important spots on the field.
Looking ahead, Atlanta seems headed back toward the same place it was before Kim entered the picture: trying to piece together shortstop until one of Tate Southisene or Alex Lodise, probably Lodise, is ready to take over. Both are still a ways off. That likely leaves the Braves trying to survive through 2027 and part of 2028 while they figure out the position.
A return for Dubón would make some sense if Atlanta wants to keep leaning on his versatility. The team could also keep hoping Jarvis grows into more than a stopgap.
But the broader market doesn’t offer much comfort. Once teams can again sign and trade players after the likely lockout, the shortstop options look thin.
Right now, the only two shortstop possibilities for after this season are J.P. Crawford and Jorge Mateo.
The 2027 group isn’t much better, with Jeremy Peña standing out over a field that includes Javier Báez, Taylor Walls and Trevor Story if the Red Sox do not pick up his club option.
That’s the part that explains why the Braves made the Kim bet in the first place. The market is ugly, and good shortstops are hard to find.
If Kim had worked, Atlanta could have used him as a bridge. Instead, the bridge is cracking, and the Braves are back in a serious bind at shortstop.
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