ATLANTA -- Ha-Seong Kim took another step toward joining Atlanta’s lineup when he began his Minor League rehab assignment with Double-A Columbus on Wednesday.
Kim went 1-for-2 and stole a base while handling the shortstop duties for five innings. The Braves will steadily increase the veteran shortstop’s workload, like they would if he was going through the early days of Spring Training.
“He’s where [catcher Sean Murphy] was probably a couple weeks ago,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “We’ll continue to ramp up the volume. We’ll take it easy early on.”
A position player can remain on a rehab assignment for up to 20 days. As long as Kim doesn’t have any setbacks, he would need to be activated from the injured list by May 19.
Murphy’s rehab assignment would expire on Sunday, but the Braves could choose to activate him sooner. The veteran catcher, who is recovering from September hip surgery, struggled at the plate during the first couple weeks of his rehab assignment. But he has five hits, including two doubles, in 13 at-bats over his past three games for Triple-A Gwinnett.
Kim signed a one-year, $20 million deal with the Braves in December. He tore a tendon in his right middle finger when he slipped on ice in his native South Korea in January. The injury led to him undergoing surgery in Atlanta and beginning a long recovery process.
Once Kim returns, he will become Atlanta’s starting shortstop. Mauricio Dubón will then fill the utility role he was projected to have before Kim’s injury.