The Los Angeles Dodgers have wrapped up Spring Training in Arizona, leaving one spot open on their Opening Day roster. The competition for this spot at second base came down to Alex Freeland and Hyeseong Kim. Freeland emerged as the choice to share the role with Miguel Rojas, while Santiago Espinal, a non-roster invitee, might also see some action at second base as Tommy Edman is sidelined to start the 2026 season.
Freeland faced challenges during Cactus League play, managing just 5-for-43 (.116) with a .518 OPS. Despite these struggles, he was informed that he made the Opening Day roster, with Kim being optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts isn’t overly worried about Freeland’s spring performance, highlighting his progress and defensive prowess. Roberts explained, “The at-bat quality has been fine.
He just hasn’t finished off the at-bats. I’ve always said I don’t evaluate completely through spring training.
Alex played a lot, didn’t have a great spring, but played great defensively. Talking to the front office, we felt that with what he’s done before in the past at Triple-A, give him this opportunity and see where it leads.”
Roberts believes Kim will benefit from regular playing time with the Oklahoma City Comets, enhancing his versatility by playing multiple positions. “There’s no doubt that Hyeseong at some point is going to come help us out,” Roberts stated. “Giving him an opportunity to play every day, all over the diamond, is crucial.”
While Kim outperformed Freeland statistically, his time with Team Korea in the 2026 World Baseball Classic limited his appearances in Cactus League games to just nine. Roberts acknowledged that Kim’s absence might have impacted his roster chances: “I’m happy he went and played for his country, but not having our guys on him daily was a little bit of a detriment.”
Freeland, now set to take on more responsibility at second base, will likely face right-handed pitching. The switch-hitter made his MLB debut last season, posting a .190/.292/.310 line with five extra-base hits over 29 games.
With Freeland’s inclusion, the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster is nearly set, featuring a strong lineup with Espinal, Rojas, Mookie Betts, Alex Call, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández, Max Muncy, Andy Pages, Dalton Rushing, Will Smith, and Kyle Tucker. Shohei Ohtani will also take on full-time two-way duties for the first time since joining the team.