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Ha-Seong Kim made his season debut against the Minnesota Twins on Friday. However, Kim’s long-awaited return didn’t last long as he exited his first game with the Tampa Bay Rays in the seventh inning.
During a replay review of Kim getting caught stealing third base, manager Kevin Cash and the Rays’ athletic trainer came out to check on the shortstop. It appeared to be a leg issue that forced Kim to leave the game, per the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin.
Ha-Seong Kim unable to finish season debut
The Rays signed Kim to a two-year, $29 million deal over the offseason. However, the team knew he would miss a portion of the 2025 campaign as he recovered from shoulder surgery.
Kim had been sidelined since last August before making his return on Friday. After starting the year on the injured list, the Rays moved him to the 60-day IL in May. Now the team hopes he avoided a setback in his first game action in 10 and a half months.
Kim spent the first four years of his career with the San Diego Padres. He broke out in 2023 with a career-best season, slashing .260/.351/.398 with 17 home runs, 60 RBI, 84 runs scored, 38 stolen bases and 5.4 bWAR in 152 games. He won the Gold Glove that year and finished 14th in MVP voting.
Kim shined defensively during his time with the Padres. While primarily a shortstop, he’s spent significant time at second base and can play third as well. He was at shortstop in his brief Rays debut Friday.
Facing the Twins, the fifth-year veteran batted seventh for Tampa Bay and picked up his first hit since August 18, 2024. Kim led off the top of the seventh inning by lining a 96 mph four-seamer to left for a single. He then got his first steal of the season.
But after taking second base, Kim attempted to swipe third and was thrown out by catcher Ryan Jeffers. That’s apparently when he got banged up, as he didn’t come out for the bottom half of the inning. Taylor Walls took over at shortstop in Kim’s absence.
