Braves announce return of $20M infielder after freak offseason injury

Braves activate Ha-Seong Kim from IL after freak injury

"The Braves today returned INF Ha-Seong Kim from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the injured list, and placed OF Eli White on the 7-day concussion IL," the Braves announced.

The Braves spent $20 million on Kim this past offseason, bringing him back after a short, but successful, stint with the team at the tail-end of the 2025 season.

But, over the offseason during the winter, Kim sustained a freak injury after slipping on ice in South Korea that tore a tendon in his right middle finger.

MORE: 75% of Mets' infielders named among biggest disappointments in MLB at their positions

It was an incredibly unlucky injury, and it caused him to miss a lot of time. However, he's now returning to the big league roster, as Kim has recovered from this freak accident.

In 24 games with the Braves last year, Kim had a .253 average with a .684 OPS. He's a good defensive shortstop and has been a solid player in his MLB career so far.

He will now take over at shortstop for Atlanta, a team sitting atop the NL East, and looks to be one of, if not the best, teams in all of baseball this season.

More MLB news:

• Three ways Pirates' Paul Skenes could lose NL Cy Young Award
• Aaron Judge makes baseball history never done before by Yankees player
• Reds' Elly De La Cruz makes baseball history not done in last 126 years
• 5 reasons to believe in Jordan Walker's breakout for Cardinals
• Pete Crow-Armstrong is still struggling to hit well for the Cubs