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4 hours ago
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The Los Angeles Dodgers do not have many weaknesses, but left field has certainly been one. Michael Conforto has been the primary left fielder this season.
Conforto is slashing .168/.305/.277 this season, and was on the bench Wednesday night against the Dodgers. Rookie Hyeseong Kim started in the outfield, and Roberts spoke on the move, noting that Kim is earning more opportunities.
"Hyeseong is doing a fantastic job," Roberts told reporters per DodgersNation's Doug McKain. "I do think in a meritocracy, I think Hyeseong has earned opportunities. He's earning the opportunity to get somewhat of a consistent look."
Kim has some positional versatility, but the Dodgers' infield is playing well. That means Kim's best path to becoming a starter is in the outfield, where Conforto has failed to produce. Kim's center field defense is not the best, but his bat has been much better than Conforto's. Last night, Kim started in center with Andy Pages and Teoscar Hernández manning the corners. Roberts was unsure if Conforto would start today against the San Diego Padres.
"Michael Conforto isn't in the lineup tonight, and Dave Roberts said he's still deciding whether Conforto will be in tomorrow," wrote MLB.com's Sonja Chen on X. "Roberts said he sees Conforto 'playing a lot still,' but acknowledged that Hyeseong Kim has earned the opportunity for more regular playing time."
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Kim is slashing .386/.427/.557. He also has six stolen bases and two home runs. He only has 75 plate appearances, so there is plenty to be skeptical about, but he has made the most of his limited opportunities. The Dodgers gave Conforto $17 million in the offseason, so the former All-Star has had a long leash. However, the Dodgers cannot continue to wait for him to figure things out amid a close division race.
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