Ha-Seong Kim’s injury the latest in a line of disappointments for him in 2024

On Wednesday, the San Diego Padres played a wild game against the Pirates. The Padres forced extra innings thanks to a clutch homer from breakout star rookie Jackson Merrill, took a commanding lead in extras after Pittsburgh's bullpen imploded, and then just barely held on for the win. However, one thing that was lost in the madness was the somewhat surprising return of Ha-Seong Kim.

Kim was scratched from the lineup on Tuesday with what was described as triceps soreness. Manager Mike Shildt indicated that the injury was a day-to-day situation and that it wasn't thought to be serious, but it was still concerning that Kim was held out of the lineup again on Wednesday. Luckily, Kim did end up playing on Wednesday as a late sub and managed to get on base a couple of times to help San Diego secure the win.

However, Kim's injury is just one of several speed bumps he has encountered in 2024, which have called into question what the future holds for the talented, but flawed infielder.

Ha-Seong Kim's 2024 season may mean his time with the Padres could be coming to an end

The good news is that Kim appearing in Wednesday's and Thursday's games indicate that his triceps injury isn't serious. San Diego wouldn't risk Kim's health unnecessarily and, given that he played well once he was in the game, it sure seems like he is feeling better.

However, being banged up is one of several unfortunate developments with Kim in 2024. While he has remained a strong defensive presence after being moved to shortstop before the season, his offensive limitations have been on full display. Kim has never made hard contact and basically got most of his offensive value from his speed and ability to draw a ton of walks.

The 2024 season has seen Kim's production take a dramatic hit. After generally being a guy that would post around a .250 batting average while walking a ton, the quality of Kim's contact has seemingly caught up with him this season as he is hitting just .225. Some of that is certainly due some bad batted ball luck, but one's BABIP is generally going to be worse when there is a lot of soft contact. The walks and steals have remained, but his profile is a tough one to bank on going forward.

Given the Padres' glut of infielders and Kim's lack of offensive ceiling, it feels likely that his time with the Padres could be coming to an end soon. While he would be a bargain if he was willing to pick up his end of the $7 million mutual option in his contract for 2025, he is extremely likely to opt out and become a free agent this coming offseason.

With his new injury concerns and the flaws that have been laid bare in 2024, the Padres may be better served by spending what it would take to keep him elsewhere.

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