CHICAGO — The Atlanta Braves claimed shortstop Ha-Seong Kim off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays, a bold move considering the former Gold Glove winner has been slowed by injuries since late 2024 and has a $16 million player option for 2026 that Atlanta will be on the hook for should he opt in.
However, that option was attractive for the Braves, who like Kim a lot and will spend the next month evaluating him. It’s not a stretch to imagine him as their Opening Day shortstop in 2026. He won a Gold Glove in 2023 while playing primarily second base but also plenty of shortstop and third base.
Kim, who’ll turn 30 next month, had season-ending shoulder surgery in August 2024, along with two injury list stints this season for back inflammation. He will come off the IL and join the Braves on Tuesday in Chicago for the second game of their series against the Cubs.
Atlanta moved third baseman Austin Riley from the 10-day to the 60-day IL to open a spot, a procedural move since Riley already was out for the remainder of the season after sports hernia surgery.
The Braves will pay Kim about $2 million for the rest of this season, the amount remaining from his $13 million salary with the Rays. Tampa Bay didn’t want to be on the hook for the $16 million salary in 2026 if Kim exercised his player option.
The five-year veteran is exceptional defensively at second base and has 64 career starts at third base, but shortstop is arguably his best position. It’s also where the Braves have an obvious need, after using the defensively strong but hitting-deficient Nick Allen at shortstop this season.
Allen hit .221 with no homers, a .534 OPS and a 52 OPS+ in 127 games before Monday, which would be tied for the fourth-lowest average and easily the lowest OPS in the majors if he had enough plate appearances to qualify.
Kim hit .250 with a .721 OPS while averaging 26 doubles and nearly 15 homers per 162 games during the 2022-2024 seasons with the San Diego Padres. He had 17 homers, 60 RBIs, a .749 OPS and 107 OPS+ in 2023 when he finished 14th in NL MVP balloting.
He played 106 games at second base that season, 32 at third base and 20 at shortstop. In those three years through 2024, he compiled 10.5 WAR according to FanGraphs. If not for the shoulder surgery late in 2024, Kim likely would have been in line for a massive long-term contract.
Before coming to the United States, Kim played seven pro seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization and had four 20-homer seasons, including 30 homers and 109 RBIs in 138 games in his final season.
(Photo: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images)