Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim’s injury timeline remains uncertain
The San Diego Padres find themselves amid a tight National League West race. San Diego sits just three wins behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers. Nevertheless, the Padres are trying to navigate injury woes, with shortstop Ha-Seong Kim’s timeline remaining uncertain.
Kim suffered a leg injury on Aug. 18 against the Colorado Rockies during a dive to first base and has not seen action since. The Padres hoped Kim would recover within roughly 10 days; however, an MRI exam revealed inflammation in his right shoulder, per MLB.com.
Despite the setback, Kim has been playing catch and taking ground balls. Still, he has not paired the grounders with throws across the diamond, the update noted. Manager Mike Shildt offered no timeline for Kim’s return, saying, “We’re clearly not going to push him, but he’s making positive strides,” via MLB.com.
Hopefully, Ha-Seong Kim can continue his positive injury trajectory. Through 121 games, Kim has batted a .233 average, hit 11 home runs, accumulated 47 RBI, and held a .700 OPS. Kim understands the importance of waiting until he is fully recovered to make his return, as he discussed on Aug. 20 during his injured list stint:
“To be honest, initially I thought I would be able to come back within five days but after talking to the training staff, the manager and the front office, I was told that maybe the 10-day {IL stint} would be the better decision considering the fact that we are in the postseason wild card race, and as a team, {we} have the goal of reaching the World Series,” Kim said through his translator, via 97.3 The Fan. “So, in order to come back to my fullest 100 percent, I think this makes sense to me.”
Padres to lean on other contributors down stretch of season
Despite Ha-Seong’s injury status, San Diego possesses two players ready for a breakout before the playoffs. ClutchPoints’ Andrew Meyers revealed the first player to be shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
“A veteran like Xander Bogaerts has the experience to dig himself out of a months-long slump. He seems to have done that with his performance over the past five weeks. Now he will be looked upon to deliver in the playoffs and live up to the moment in October,” Meyers wrote on Aug. 28.
The second player ready to take a step forward for the Padres is Martin Perez.
“Martin Perez is throwing the ball well and has turned himself into a viable starter for the Padres down the stretch. He has a 2.70 ERA with San Diego since being traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 30. The Padres won all five games he’s started with Perez allowing three runs or less every game. He has two quality starts under his belt since the deal, adding 24 strikeouts to seven walks,” Meyers explained.
With Bogaerts, Perez, and other quality contributors, San Diego has what it takes to finish the season strong and push for the playoffs.
The post Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim’s injury timeline remains uncertain appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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