For a large segment of the 2025 MLB season, Hyeseong Kim was an important part of the Los Angeles Dodgers' plans.

Coming over from the KBL as a 26-year-old rookie from Goyang, South Korea, Kim split his time between the infield and outfield for the Dodgers before settling in as the team's more-or-less regular second baseman between Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. Though he didn't show much power, he did record a batting average of .283, which remains a top-5 mark on the Dodgers alongside a number of All-Star stalwarts.

And yet, in the opinion of Dave Roberts, Kim remains a bit of a question mark against playoff pitching, with the skipper telling reporters on Tuesday that he simply doesn't trust him against right-handed pitchers at this stage of the season.

“I don't feel comfortable with him versus left-handed pitching. Balls that are going away from him,” Roberts said via Dodgers Nation. “I think with Hyeseong, I love the defense. … This is his first year in the major leagues, and I think he's done a great job.

“I think right now for Hyeseong, there's too much chase out of the hitting zone, and there's not enough contact. So for me, when you chase a lot and you don't make a lot of contact, that is not a good spot for the postseason.”

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Fortunately, even if Kim doesn't regularly see the field for the Dodgers in the playoffs, Roberts still believes this run could be a valuable experience for the former KBLer, as it will give him a firsthand look at MLB playoff baseball.

“I think [Kim is] going to be a very good player,” continued Roberts. “He's helped us out a lot this year. I just think that there's a lot more growth as a major-league hitter that needs to happen. There's not enough walk in there, again, because there's a lot of chase. He's growing. He's going to get better. But I think right now (when it comes to playing time) I've got to think about guys that I feel that can handle postseason pitching. But I think that this experience for Hyeseong to be on the club, to be in a pennant race, I think this is going to help him going forward.”

Will Kim ultimately make the Dodgers' playoff roster? More likely than not, yes, as he's a quality defender and, most crucially, he's one of the fastest players on the team, which could come in handy in base-running situations. But when it comes to at-bats, Kim will likely find himself pretty low in the pecking order, behind, well, basically everyone in the dugout when a righty is on the mound.