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SAN FRANCISCO –– When the Dodgers return home for their upcoming bye week to begin the playoffs, they will be joined by a couple of familiar faces.
Both Josue De Paula and Hyeseong Kim will be part of the team’s pre-National League Division Series workouts in the coming days, according to manager Dave Roberts.
And both will be getting serious consideration to make the team’s postseason roster, too.
De Paula’s roster chances have been growing for the last several weeks. Though he was optioned back to the minors on Wednesday after an impressive 11-game debut in the majors, the 21-year-old showed enough promise in that initial stint –– even after being called up straight from double-A –– that he has seemingly leapfrogged Dalton Rushing in the battle for a left-handed bench bat role in October.
Kim, on the other hand, has reemerged as a surprise roster candidate lately, despite the fact he has been in triple-A since late May.
Two years on from his signing out of South Korea, the 27-year-old infielder remains a work in progress at the plate. He hit just .259 with one home run, 11 RBIs, a .651 OPS and 31 strikeouts in 116 MLB at-bats in April and May this year. He provided equally disappointing production in the minors, as well, posting only a .262 average, three home runs, 31 RBIs and 92 strikeouts in 328 at-bats with Oklahoma City.
However, Kim still possesses premium speed and infield defense (especially at second base).
And just like last year, it might be enough to get him on the Dodgers’ playoff roster again.
“Talking about the value of a pinch-runner in potential close games,” Roberts said, “[we would be] trusting Hyeseong, who would be the guy.”
Last October, Kim served as the speed guy on the Dodgers’ playoff bench, leading to two notable postseason appearances. In Game 4 of the NLDS, he scored the series-clinching run as a pinch-runner on Orion Kerkering’s infamous walk-off throwing error in the 11th inning. Three weeks later, Kim was an 11th-inning substitute again in Game 7 of the World Series, taking over for an injured Miguel Rojas at second base while the Dodgers secured the final three outs of their title.
If Kim were to make the team’s playoff roster again this year, he would serve in a nearly identical role.
The only real question is whether the Dodgers can afford to carry an extra position player who would almost certainly not be trusted to step to the plate.
They got away with it last year, when both Kim and outfielder Justin Dean served in niche capacities throughout October. However, it helped that Ohtani’s two-way status effectively gave them an extra pitcher, as well. This fall, they won’t have that luxury with Ohtani limited to just hitting.
Still, at least for next week’s best-of-five NLDS, it once again appears likely there could be a spot for Kim, with Roberts noting that “in a short series, the number of arms [on the pitching staff] is not as important.”
Leading up to Game 1 of the NLDS next Saturday, there are other considerations the Dodgers will have to make. Determining Shohei Ohtani’s health will remain paramount. Setting the starting rotation order will be another task. Even the bullpen still requires a more settled hierarchy, especially with Edgardo Henriquez on track to be available for the series despite missing the last several weeks with a back injury.
After Sunday’s regular-season finale, however, the Dodgers will have plenty of time to finalize such decisions.
At this point, names like De Paula and Kim remain very much in the mix.
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