PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Rays shortstop Ha-Seong Kim reported to Spring Training on Friday, joining his new team as he continues to work his way back from right shoulder surgery.
“I'm excited to join a great organization like the Rays, and being here just makes me want to rehab stronger and quicker so that I can join the team and the players back on the baseball field soon,” Kim said through interpreter David Lee.
Kim, who signed a two-year, $29 million deal that he can opt out of after this season, won’t be ready for Opening Day. But he’s hitting and throwing, and he said everything in his rehabilitation “feels good” so far. He might be ahead of schedule in terms of hitting, he said, and he’s on track with his throwing program.
“Not trying to rush things,” Kim said. “I’m trying to just get back 100% in shape.”
Kim said Friday that he’s optimistically hoping he could return as soon as late April, as he initially told Korean reporters last month. While he’s sidelined, Taylor Walls and José Caballero are expected to handle shortstop for Tampa Bay.
It might take more time for Kim’s shoulder to fully recover to the point that he can make all the throws he needs to make from shortstop, which is why his return has been projected to take place in May. The April timeline would likely only come into play if the Rays need to bring him back as a second baseman or designated hitter.
Tampa Bay has been in close contact with Kim’s agent, Scott Boras, and the staff supervising Kim's rehab program. The process will continue at Charlotte Sports Park throughout Spring Training, when Kim will break camp with the team and finish his rehab out of Steinbrenner Field, the Rays’ temporary home ballpark for this season.
“Excited to see him,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We'll get up to speed as quick as we possibly can with him, get to know him, let his teammates get to know him. And I think … there is some value that he doesn't have to come in and make an impression immediately on the field. He can do some quality work in the clubhouse, interacting with teammates and certainly getting to know our medical staff and us getting to know his [medical staff].”
Kim flew into Tampa on Thursday night. He said he’d only been to Florida previously when the Padres, his former team, played the Marlins in Miami. He was still figuring out how to get around Charlotte Sports Park on Friday while meeting his new teammates, including ace Shane McClanahan and third baseman Junior Caminero.
“I still need to take a good full-on tour of the facility, but right now, so far, so good. Facility looks great,” he said. “I'm saying hi to all the new players and staff. So it's a little hectic today, because it's a new environment, for sure.”
Around the horn
• Recently acquired right-hander Mason Englert also joined the Rays on Friday. He had planned to report to Detroit’s Spring Training the day after he was designated for assignment, so he and his wife, Ella, changed their plans and waited to see what would come next.
When Tampa Bay traded for him, the Englerts booked a flight to Tampa, took an Uber to pick up their cars at Tigers camp in Lakeland and then drove down to Port Charlotte. For all the uncertainty, Englert -- who features an elite changeup -- said he was happy to land with a team known for pitching development like the Rays.
“I'm excited,” he said. “I'm really excited to see what they have for the rest of the arsenal, too, because yeah, I think there's some other things we can tap into.”
• Starter Zack Littell threw 23 pitches in live batting practice on Friday morning, already his second time facing hitters this spring, and said he felt good. One of the hitters taking swings against him was catcher Logan Driscoll, who caught Littell’s offseason bullpen sessions in North Carolina.
• The Rays’ annual Fan Fest is set for Saturday at the St. Pete Pier. The team on Thursday announced several activities and events, including a players’ game show with Pete Fairbanks and Kevin Kelly; a State of Baseball panel with Rays executives and a Prospect Spotlight panel. VIP experiences available for pre-purchase include a 45-minute fishing experience with Garrett Cleavinger, Shane Baz and Littell, and a 45-minute tiki boat experience with Ryan Pepiot or Richie Palacios.