Alex Freeland was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the young infielder has earned “more runway” after another round of roster movement that has left Hyeseong Kim on shakier ground.
Roberts said Freeland will likely play more than Kim while both are on the roster, a notable turn for a player who was sent down earlier this month when Mookie Betts returned from injury. Freeland had been excelling for Oklahoma City before the call-up, and the Dodgers now appear ready to see more of that production against major league pitching.
The move lands at a moment when the club is searching for stability on the infield and Kim has struggled recently. Kim kept his MLB roster spot when Freeland was sent down earlier this month, but his hold on that job was already being discussed before Kiké Hernández’s oblique problem changed the picture again. Hernández was significantly injured, exited Tuesday night after playing only a game and a half, and said afterward that he felt the strain during batting practice on Monday.
That matters because Hernández had just returned from offseason elbow surgery and had already missed more than 50 games before this latest setback. In limited action, he went 4-for-4 with two doubles and a home run before leaving his second game, a sharp reminder of how quickly the Dodgers’ roster can be rearranged around one injury and how little margin remains for Kim. A prior roster shuffle, including the earlier decision to send Freeland down as Betts returned, was tracked here: Hyeseong Kim stays, Alex Freeland sent down as Dodgers shuffle roster and Dodgers Game Today: Mookie Betts reinstated as Alex Freeland is sent down.
Freeland’s return gives the Dodgers another look at a player who has done enough at Triple-A to force the issue, while Kim now has to protect a roster spot that was never secure for long. With Roberts signaling that Freeland will likely get more of the playing time over Kim while both are active, the next few games should show whether the Dodgers are making a temporary fill-in or a more lasting change.
