The Tampa Bay Rays quietly released Korean infielder Kim Ha-seong, and the Atlanta Braves promptly claimed him off waivers.

The Tampa Bay Rays quietly let go of Korean infielder Kim Ha-seong, and the Atlanta Braves quickly confirmed they claimed him off waivers. Kim Ha-seong is the first Asian player to earn a Gold Glove as a utility player. He spent four seasons with the San Diego Padres before signing with the Rays this year (two years, $29 million) via free agency, but injuries affected his play. Since he has a $16 million player option for next year, the Rays paid out the remaining $2 million of his salary this season to release him early.

After the Braves acquired Kim Ha-seong, he can exercise his player option next year to stay with the team and earn $16 million. Despite this, the Braves are willing to invest in a comeback season for him. Before the trade, Kim was recovering from lower back inflammation and is expected to join the Braves in tomorrow’s game against the Chicago Cubs. Infielder Austin Riley (lower abdominal strain) was moved from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list to free up a spot on the 40-man roster for Kim.

U.S. media expressed surprise at this series of events because the Rays’ release of Kim Ha-seong went largely unnoticed, and the Braves taking on his salary for next year is an intriguing move. With a current record of 62 wins and 76 losses, the Braves are likely out of playoff contention, and their starting third baseman Austin Riley is out for the season due to injury. The Braves must start preparing for next year early.

The Braves hope Kim Ha-seong can return to his pre-injury form. When healthy, Kim is a reliable starting player and showed star-level performance in his best seasons of 2022 and 2023. This season, he appeared in 24 games, playing shortstop and second base, but posted career lows with a .214 batting average and a .612 OPS.