Dodgers cut World Series champion who made final out of 2025 three days before Opening Day
Hyeseong Kim made the final out of the 2025 MLB season when he turned a double play at second base against the Toronto Blue Jays in the 11th inning of the World Series. Kim will begin the 2026 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate after being optioned March 22. The surprising move likely clears an Opening Day roster spot for 24-year-old infielder Alex Freeland, one of the team’s top position player prospects.
MORE: Clayton Kershaw, son share heartwarming moment before WBC final Kim was the most surprising name in a round of roster cuts that included former first-round draft pick Nick Senzel, former Pittsburgh Pirates standout Jack Suwinski, and catcher Seby Zavala. Senzel’s strong spring training (. 270/.
440/. 622) might have brought him one step closer to MLB after spending all of 2025 in the minor leagues and Mexico. For now, however, the second overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft will still have to wait.
Senzel and Suwinski both re-assigned to the Dodgers’ minor league camp after hitting three home runs in Cactus League play. Suwinski needed only three Cactus League games to do so. Zavala slashed .
222/. 333/. 389 in 16 spring training games.