Buy Mode<\/p>\n
Potential needs: Infield, outfield, starting pitching, relief pitching<\/p>\n
For a club with a strong record, they have a surprising number of holes. Shortstop is a big one. Collectively, the club\u2019s shortstops have hit .220\/.278\/.347 on the year. A lot of that is due to the struggles of Ha-Seong Kim<\/a>, who injured his hand in the offseason when he slipped on ice. He was on the injured list into the middle of May and has since put up a dismal .068\/.171\/.068 line. He won\u2019t be able to maintain a .098 batting average on balls in play forever but his Statcast numbers are all down, so that low BABIP is not entirely bad luck.<\/p>\n It\u2019s theoretically possible they could find a solution internally. Mauricio Dub\u00f3n<\/a> is having a decent season at the plate and he can cover shortstop. He\u2019s currently playing a lot of left field while Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr.<\/a> is on the IL with a hamstring strain. When Acu\u00f1a returns, he should retake his right field spot. That would move Mike Yastrzemski<\/a> to left, likely in a platoon with Eli White<\/a>. In that scenario, Dub\u00f3n could spent more time at shortstop, thus reducing Kim\u2019s playing time.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear how much patience the club plans to have with Kim. They clearly like the player. They claimed him off waivers in September last year even though they were out of contention. At the time, Kim had a $16MM player option for 2026. He turned that down and elected free agency but Atlanta re-signed him via a one-year, $20MM deal. After signing that deal, Kim suffered his aforementioned hand injury and hasn\u2019t yet got into a groove. Given the big investment and his poor BABIP, Atlanta has some motivation to letting him play while they hope for better results going forward.<\/p>\n At some point, they may have to cut their losses and move on, whether that\u2019s releasing Kim or just keeping him in a bench role. If they go down that route, would they be content with Dub\u00f3n? He is a solid utility player but has never really been an everyday shortstop. His 264 2\/3 innings at the position this season are already a career high.<\/p>\n
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