ANAHEIM, Calif. – The surprising thing is not that the Dodgers had a tough roster decision to make at the end of training camp, but how they chose to address it.
Manager Dave Roberts didn’t shy away from the significance of the call Sunday morning, calling it “the toughest decision of the spring.” In a club filled with established stars and versatile depth players, rookie Alex Freeland is on the right side of this decision.
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The Dodgers drafted Kim to Triple-A Oklahoma City, clearing the way for Freeland to part ways with the major league club — a move that may raise eyebrows on paper but follows a clear line of reasoning within the organization.
Roberts believes the decision was less a judgment of talent and more a matter of timing and opportunity.
“The driving factor is him playing six days a week,” Roberts said of King. “Recorded a fair amount of at-bats that he just can’t get here.”
Kim’s spring season was complicated by playing in the World Baseball Classic with Team South Korea, where, according to Roberts, he developed a mechanical inconsistency in his swing. The Dodgers believe his long-term development will be better served by everyday multi-position reps (second base, shortstop, center field) in Oklahoma City than sporadic usage in Los Angeles.
That opened the door for Freeland.
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While his spring average was .116, the Dodgers insist the evaluation goes deeper than the results. Roberts pointed to Freeland’s batting quality and defensive consistency — areas where the club believes he’s further ahead than King now. King had a .967 OPS in nine games but was 1-for-12 in the WBC.
“I’m not blind to the fact that Alex doesn’t have a ground line in the spring, but Comet does,” Roberts said. “But that’s some of what we’re evaluating.”
Roberts continued.
“I thought he was hitting the ball well, he just didn’t finish it,” Roberts said. “Alex played a lot of games and didn’t have a great bounce, but played well defensively.”
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This was a typical decision by the Dodgers – trusting the underlying process rather than superficial numbers. Freeland, for his part, didn’t try to overanalyze it. His reactions were more human.
“When the doctor told me, I got chills,” he said.
The 24-year-old described offseason growth that clearly resonated with the team, even if the Cactus League numbers didn’t reflect it. His reward: a spot on the Opening Day roster and a clear role. Freeland is expected to start at right-hander, forming a platoon at second base with veteran Miguel Rojas.
“Play against right-handed pitchers first, then play second base,” Freeland said of the information he received.
This clarity is important. For a young player entering a competitive lineup, knowing his position is just as important as earning the opportunity itself.
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Freeland soon got his first taste of the opportunity. No. 9 in the lineup against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, he found himself in a 10-run third inning, walked the bases in the inning’s second outing and caught another free pass late in the game.
There were no hits — but again, the Dodgers weren’t focused on that. They were watching the batter. defense. Take it all in stride.
In many ways, this decision reflects both the Dodgers’ confidence in their developmental system and that of Freeland himself. King will get his chance — probably sooner rather than later — but for now, the organization is betting that everyday reps at the Triple-A level will accelerate his preparation.
Meanwhile, Freeland began to realize his dream.
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“It means everything,” he said. “I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a kid.”
For the Dodgers, the hope is that the dream quickly becomes a reality — with their toughest decision of the spring becoming one of their smartest bets of the season.
