The right-hander even took away a hit, so why did he take it out? Kim Hye-sung appointed second baseman Uta Rojas, excluding starting against ARI 2891 billion ace

May 22, 2025

The right-hander even took away a hit, so why did he take it out? Kim Hye-sung appointed second baseman Uta Rojas, excluding starting against ARI 2891 billion ace
LA Dodgers Kim Hye-sung was excluded from the starting lineup against the Arizona Diamondbacks on the 22nd (Korea time), even though the opponent's starter was right-hander Corbyn Burns. ImagesYonhap News



The right-hander even took away a hit, so why did he take it out? Kim Hye-sung appointed second baseman Uta Rojas, excluding starting against ARI 2891 billion ace
Kim Hye-sung has been hitless even after starting for the last two consecutive games. AFP Yonhap News
LA Dodgers' Kim Hye-sung is rarely expanding his position.

Kim Hye-sung was again excluded from the starting lineup. The Dodgers used Miguel Rojas as No. 9 second baseman instead of Kim Hye-sung in the final game of the three consecutive home games against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium on the morning of the 22nd (Korea time).

Even though Arizona's starting pitcher is right-handed Corbyn Burns, he left-handed batter Kim Hye-sung and right-handed batter Rojas were added.




Kim Hye-sung made her big league debut on the 4th and is playing in a platoon manner. Kim Hye-sung, who plays second baseman or center fielder, is a left-handed hitter, so if the opponent is left-handed, he will be excluded from the starting lineup. Especially since Tommy Edman's return, this platooning method has been thoroughly followed.

However, Arizona starter Burns is a right-handed pitcher, and it is not clear why Kim Hye-sung should be excluded. It can only be interpreted that it is because the hitting sense is not good recently.

Kim Hye-sung started consecutive games against Arizona on the 20th and 21st because his opponent was right-handed, but he had no hits in four at-bats and no hits in two at-bats, respectively. In particular, in the game on the 21st, he was replaced by pinch hitter Edman because the opponent left-handed in the third at-bat in the eighth inning.




Kim Hye-sung, who had been trusted by manager Dave Roberts by swinging hard hits such as getting on base in nine consecutive at-bats and flying high in the batting average of 400, needs to increase his momentum.

The right-hander even took away a hit, so why did he take it out? Kim Hye-sung appointed second baseman Uta Rojas, excluding starting against ARI 2891 billion ace
Arizona Diamondbacks ace Corbin Burns. ImagesYonhap News
What's regrettable is that Kim Hye-sung once took a hit from Burns. He went into three at-bats against him in an away game at Chase Field on the 11th and recorded one hit in three at-bats. He went out as a leadoff hitter in the top of the fifth inning, trailing 0-1, and hit a 79.6-mile curve in the middle of Burns to hit a heavy hit that flew like a clothesline at a speed of 96.5 miles (155.3 kilometers). At that time, Burns won his second game of the season with five hits and no runs in seven innings.

Burns signed a six-year, $210 million contract last winter and was treated as an ace boasting an average annual salary of $35 million. He has thrown 45 ⅔ innings in eight games this season, with a 3-1 record, 2.56 ERA, 43 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.25. Although Kim Hye-sung made a good hit against such an ace, it should be attributed to the judgment that the hit has been on the decline recently.




Not only Kim Hye-sung, but also catcher Will Smith and left fielder Michael Confoto were benched.

The Dodgers lined up in the order of Shohei Ohtani (DH), Mookie Betts (striker), Freddie Freeman (first baseman), Teoscar Hernandez (right fielder), Andy Farz (left fielder), Max Muncy (third baseman), Tommy Edman (center fielder), Dalton Rushing (catcher), and Rojas (second baseman).



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.