braves/news/braves-walt-weiss-gives-telling-update-ha-seong-kims-future-ss-amid-jorge-mateo-surge/4f0c46e6b97af823c772166d?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=appeared_on">Braves’ Walt Weiss gives telling update on Ha-Seong Kim’s future at SS amid Jorge Mateo surge originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Atlanta Braves made the decision to bring back Ha-Seong Kim after an impressive month with the team to close the 2025 season. However, Kim got hurt shortly after signing and suffered a wrist injury.
Kim has been back with the Braves over the past few weeks, but he has yet to make much of an impact at the plate, batting just above .100. That slow start has raised questions about his future role.
“Sounds like the Braves may be approaching a crossroads with Ha-Seong Kim. The belief internally may still be there, but if this continues another couple weeks, it feels like a legitimate ‘what are we doing at shortstop?’ conversation is coming,” 680 The Fan’s Chris Dimino said.
In the last three games, Jorge Mateo has started at shortstop for Atlanta. Braves manager Walt Weiss has described the position as day-to-day.
“It’s a day-to-day thing,” Weiss said Friday. “I’ve talked about the challenge of juggling 13 position players, and I try to keep everyone involved as best I can. You play the guys that are swinging the bat well, and you ride that wave.”
The concern for Kim is that Mateo has been swinging a hot bat, including a home run on Saturday night. With Kim yet to start this weekend and Mateo continuing to produce, Weiss updated the situation after the Braves’ 5-2 win on Saturday night.
“(If) he’s swinging the bat like this, it’s tough to take him out (of the lineup),” Weiss said.
Kim could find himself in a similar situation to last season, when he bounced around multiple times before eventually settling in. There is no doubt his defense is solid, but he is struggling at the plate right now.
Weiss appears to be sticking to his plan of riding the hot hand, and there may not be anyone hotter than Mateo at the moment. For Kim, it is an unfortunate situation, but when he gets his next opportunity, he will need to be ready. If he is not, it could be a long time before he gets another chance with Mateo continuing to surge.
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