Injury Update: Padres Receive More Bad News

The Padres have placed Ha-Seong Kim on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 19, due to right shoulder inflammation. To fill his spot on the roster, San Diego has recalled Matthew Batten.

This move follows Kim’s departure from Sunday’s game, where he initially suffered what was described as a jammed shoulder after a dive into first base during a pickoff attempt. Although the team was initially optimistic about the MRI results, they decided to err on the side of caution and keep Kim out for at least a week and a half. Manager Mike Shildt mentioned that while the team isn’t overly concerned and believes Kim could return within 10 days, they opted to be cautious (source: AJ Cassavell of MLB.com).

This is Kim’s first stint on the injured list in his MLB career. Since signing a four-year deal ahead of the 2021 season, Kim has proven to be very durable, playing over 150 games in both 2022 and 2023. Although he won’t reach that mark this year, he could still play over 140 games if the injury is minor.

 

 

Kim is having another solid season, with a .233/.330/.370 slash line over 470 plate appearances, complemented by 22 stolen bases in 27 attempts. The Padres committed to him as their full-time shortstop this season after previously moving him around the infield. Kim has performed well defensively in over 1000 innings at shortstop. In his absence, Tyler Wade will take over the position.

As Kim approaches free agency next offseason, he is expected to decline his side of an $8MM mutual option in favor of a $2MM buyout. He is likely to seek a new four- or five-year deal with a significantly higher average annual value than the $7MM he received when he first came to MLB. A serious shoulder injury could affect his market value, but it seems he has avoided a major issue that might have kept him out for an extended period.