"When the Tampa Bay Rays opted to cut some salary down the stretch in 2025, the Atlanta Braves leveraged their waiver wire position to infuse some offense at shortstop and attempt to improve their position for 2026 by taking on a few million in salary. The Braves claimed infielder - and with Atlanta, shortstop - Ha-Seong Kim off waivers on September 1."
"This was a low-risk move by Atlanta. The team started with season with Orlando Arcia as the starting shortstop, but he was quickly replaced by Nick Allen. While Allen was up for a Gold Glove due to his stellar defense at shortstop, his offense was abysmal. With only the cash outlay to add Kim, Atlanta have him the last month of the season for a mutual test-drive for both the player and the team."
The Atlanta Braves claimed Ha-Seong Kim off waivers on September 1 to add offense at shortstop and assess his 2026 player option while taking on modest salary. Kim made his MLB debut in 2021 after seven seasons in the KBO and signed with the Rays for $13 million in 2025 with a $16 million player option for 2026. Kim struggled coming off shoulder surgery and had multiple injured list stints related to back issues, producing a 73 wRC+ with the Rays. The Braves treated the move as a low-risk, one-month mutual test drive, and Kim posted a 91 wRC+ with Atlanta.
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