This past offseason, the Tampa Bay Rays took a risk on Ha-Seong Kim despite his injury history by signing him to a two-year, $29 million deal. He was actively recovering from shoulder surgery and was expected to return during the 2025 season. Now only 10 games into his debut with the Rays, Kim’s injury issues have struck again.
The good news for the 29-year-old infielder is that this is unrelated to his offseason shoulder injury, at least as far as we know. Back tightness for a player coming back from a long layoff isn’t uncommon. It had been bothering him for a couple of days, and the Rays decided to give him a bit of a break on the 10-day IL. It’s a positive sign that he was out on the field pregame on Friday tossing the ball with training staff watching.
Since the injured list placement is retroactive to July 22nd, he will be eligible to return in one week. It’s likely safe to assume that without setbacks, he will only miss the minimum amount of time.
Kim is batting .226 through 31 at-bats with a home run, a double, and four stolen bases. Known for a strong glove up the middle at 2B/SS and a mix of power and speed, the Rays will be hoping Kim can provide a boost as he gets into the mix more regularly.
