The Los Angeles Dodgers are having another excellent season, to nobody's surprise. As the calendar nears July, Dave Roberts and company sit atop the NL West with a stellar 45-29 record and are separating themselves in a very talented and competitive division.
Everyone knows the stars in Los Angeles. Shoehi Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are leading the way once again and are getting even stronger with Ohtani's recent return to the mound after Tommy John surgery. However, this Dodgers squad has plenty of unsung heroes that are more than doing their part as well.
While the Los Angeles infield is filled with stars, the outfield is a crowded bunch that is packed with underrated talent. That leaves Roberts with some tough roster decisions on a nightly basis, and Michael Conforto is the odd man out on Wednesday night against the San Diego Padres.
Instead, Hyeseong Kim will get the start in center field while Andy Pages will slide over to left. Before the game, Roberts talked about the tough decision while highlighting that Kim has earned more playing time, via Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
“Michael Conforto isn't in the lineup tonight, and Dave Roberts said he's still deciding whether Conforto will be in tomorrow,” Chen wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Roberts said he sees Conforto ‘playing a lot still,' but acknowledged that Hyeseong Kim has earned the opportunity for more regular playing time.”
Article Continues BelowPages and Teoscar Hernandez have cemented themselves as nearly everyday starters in the outfield, so that leaves one spot for Kim, Conforto, and at times Kiké Hernandez. It is a crowded group, but that is also part of what makes it so dangerous.
Conforto has struggled mightily at the plate this season, which could be another reason why Roberts is making the change at this time. In 65 games this year, the former New York Mets slugger is hitting just .168 with four home runs and 13 RBIs.
Kim has seen less action for the Dodgers, but he has been much more productive when he has been in the lineup. He has just 68 at-bats over 30 games, but is hitting a blistering .382 this year with a pair of home runs and 11 RBIs.
At this point, Kim is producing baserunners and runs at a much higher rate than Conforto is, and he is taking his place in the lineup for now as a result.