SARASOTA, Fla. -- Hyun Soo Kim is "not likely" to make the Orioles' Opening Day roster, executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said on Tuesday.
"I think we have some players ahead of him right now," Duquette said of Kim, who has been outplayed by Rule 5 Draft pick Joey Rickard, who could get a chance at the starting left-field spot. "We're just trying to do the right thing for the team and get the guys in the right jobs."
After being one of the team leaders in plate appearances, Kim hasn't played since Saturday and is batting .182 with no extra-base hits in 44 at-bats this spring. He would have to consent to being sent to the Minor Leagues as part of his two-year, $7 million deal.
Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he's had two discussions with Kim about going to Triple-A, the second one with Duquette present. It's unclear if the O's would be able to work out a deal to send Kim back to South Korea the way the club did with Suk-min Yoon. The sense is Kim would like to stay in the United States.
"I think in these cases the transition takes some time," Duquette said. "I believe [Kim] wants to give it some more time."
Duquette declined to say whether Kim has been a disappointment this spring but when asked if he thought maybe the outfielder needed some more adjustment time, he said: "Could be, yeah, could be. Could need a little time to resolve it."