Hyeseong Kim Excited to Face Japanese Teammates in WBC
Los Angeles Dodgers utility man Hyeseong Kim stated he’s looking forward to facing Japanese teammates Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto with Team Korea in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Team Korea and Team Japan are both in Pool C, meaning they’ll square off at least once before the end of the tournament. “I’m definitely looking forward to it,” Kim said.
“I haven’t played a ton against Team Japan with Team Korea, so I want to make sure I get to play against them this WBC. I just want to prepare the right way. It’s an important game.” Team Japan won the last WBC matchup between the teams in 2023, taking a convincing 13-4 victory on their way to a record third WBC championship. Their next matchup is set for March 7.
Feb 13, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Hyeseong Kim (6) gets ready to hit during spring training camp. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images Is Hyeseong Kim the Best Player on Team Korea? While he isn’t the clear best player on Team Korea, Kim is one of very few major league players on their roster for the upcoming WBC.
He made his debut for the Dodgers in 2025, and played 71 games for the team during their championship season. Kim made a great impression in his first month, batting over .400 and having an OPS higher than 1.000, but limited opportunities throughout the regular season led to a steady decline in his numbers.
The 27-year-old finished the year with a .280 batting average and .699 OPS while hitting three homers and driving in 17 runs. He seems to have made an impression with the Dodgers, though, as manager Dave Roberts said he has a chance to take over the starting second baseman spot while Tommy Edman is out.
“I think Hyeseong’s in the mix, we’ve got [Santiago] Espinal, obviously Miggy Ro is going to do some things over there, Freeland certainly in the mix, so we’re got some nice options,” Roberts said. Who Else is on Team Korea? Five other players from MLB join Kim on Team Korea’s roster, with one of the more notable names being the San Francisco Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee.
The other four current MLB players are all Korean-American: Dane Dunning, Riley O’Brien, Shay Whitcomb and Jahmai Jones. Another notable name for Team Korea is former Dodger Hyun Jin Ryu, who hasn’t featured in MLB since 2023. How do you think this team will perform at the upcoming tournament?
Los Angeles Dodgers utility man Hyeseong Kim stated he's looking forward to facing his Japanese teammates in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Los Angeles Dodgers utility man Hyeseong Kim stated he's looking forward to facing his Japanese teammates in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.