The Los Angeles Dodgers have demoted Korean outfielder Hyeseong Kim to Triple-A, clearing a spot on the opening roster for Alex Freeland.

The Dodgers today demoted Korean outfielder Hyeseong Kim to Triple-A, making their opening-day roster for Friday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks clearer.

With Kim's demotion, veteran Miguel Rojas becomes the primary candidate for the second base position. This move also clears the path for switch-hitting infielder Alex Freeland to join the 26-man roster for the new season.

Kim missed most of the team's spring training due to representing South Korea in the World Baseball Classic. In nine Cactus League games this year, he had a batting average of .407 and an OPS of .967. However, the Dodgers want him to continue refining his swing technique, as his swing-and-miss rate was high during spring training. Kim struck out eight times in 27 plate appearances, with only one walk. In contrast, Freeland impressed the team with his swing decisions. This spring, he struck out 11 times in 43 plate appearances but also drew 11 walks.

"Both choices have their merits. Choosing Alex or Kim isn't a straightforward either-or decision," manager Dave Roberts said yesterday. "We still don't know Kim very well. Alex's quality of plate appearances is good. The surface stats might not look great, but it's spring training, and we need deeper discussion."

Kim signed a three-year, $12.5 million contract with the Dodgers before the 2025 season. He played 71 games in the regular season, with a batting average of .280 and an OPS of .699. His strikeout rate was high at 30.6% over 170 plate appearances.

Freeland, the Dodgers' 8th-ranked prospect, had a strikeout rate of 36.1% in his rookie season plate appearances in 2025, but his walk rate and chase rate (11.3% and 19.3% respectively) were also impressive. He was called up to the major leagues on July 29 last year. In his first 29 games, he had a batting average of .190 and an OPS of .602.