This story was excerpted from Sonja Chen¡¯s Dodgers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
After a slow start to his sophomore season, Andy Pages has begun to show some promising signs at the plate. But there is some question of whether he's done enough to hold onto the everyday center-field job.
While the Dodgers struggled on their 2-4 road trip through Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., Pages seemed to find something in the last couple of games, when he homered on back-to-back days. The second homer was especially big, as it knotted the finale in Washington and set the stage for the Dodgers to come back, avoiding a sweep.
Manager Dave Roberts had given Pages the day off in Monday's opener, a chance to reset after starting each of the prior 11 games, all but one in center field. At that point, the 25-year-old had gone 4-for-34 (.118) with just one extra-base hit, and 14 strikeouts against five walks.
"I think that he's getting a lot of opportunities, and I think he's built to play every day," Roberts said Monday. "He has a mind to play every day. But sometimes in big league baseball, the 0-fers start to accrue pretty quickly. ¡ I just think that to sit back, let his teammates play a game and then get him back in there -- it's a good way to go from."
Pages appreciated getting a breather -- and later, felt relief when that first home run left the yard. He admitted that the frustration he felt over his lack of results may have trickled into other aspects of his game.
"At the beginning of Spring Training, I wasn't guaranteed a spot on the team, so I had to work through it to win a spot," Pages said through interpreter Juan Dorado. "I was able to win it, but the last 10 games or so, I haven't gotten the results I wanted. But being able to help the team out today, or get some results today, was a major lift off my back."
Even though he's starting to build momentum at the plate, Pages hasn't looked particularly great in center field, which may be the more pressing issue for the Dodgers. If the team doesn't begin to see improvement there soon, then L.A. could consider seeing what Hyeseong Kim has to offer.
Kim, who signed a three-year, $12.5 million deal with the Dodgers after spending eight seasons with the KBO's Kiwoom Heroes, has primarily been a middle infielder in his professional career. But Tommy Edman has looked great at second base and Mookie Betts has the run of shortstop, so Kim has had to tap into his versatility.
Kim didn't play much in center field during Spring Training, although Roberts had talked about getting him reps there as a potential avenue to a roster spot. That did not materialize, as the Dodgers opted for Kim to begin the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City in order to continue working on his swing.
The 26-year-old has been productive in his time with the Comets, going 14-for-48 (.292) with seven doubles and four stolen bases across 11 games. He's struck out 14 times against four walks -- and made five starts in center field.
Before this season, Kim had not spent any time in center field as a professional. He said early in spring that he actually felt more comfortable playing center than in left field -- where he logged 291 2/3 innings in the KBO -- because he finds it easier to track down balls when he's playing up the middle.
The Dodgers want to develop Kim the right way and make sure he has time to acclimate to the different challenges of playing in the Majors. But it might not be long before he gets his first taste of the big leagues if he continues on this trajectory.