Dodgers 2B Battle 2026: Hyeseong Kim vs Rojas Fantasy Outlook

The Los Angeles Dodgers enter the 2026 season as the favorites to win the NL West and advance to the World Series to attempt a three-peat. The team features one of the deepest rosters in MLB, but a couple of key injuries have created an opening at second base. This situation will remain fluid until at least the end of May, when Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernández are expected to return from the IL.

Until then, manager Dave Roberts has a bit of a logjam to deal with at the keystone, and fantasy managers need to decide whether Hyeseong Kim, Miguel Rojas, Alex Freeland, and eventually Hernández and Edman, are worthy of a roster spot. Playing time is going to be an issue with every one of these players, so knowing how Roberts intends to deploy them is the key to fantasy success. The Injuries That Opened the Door Tommy Edman IL Update Edman suffered a right ankle injury some time prior to joining the Dodgers in 2024.

This led to repeated flare-ups and inflammation that limited him to just 51 games in 2024, and 102 games in 2025. The ankle injury created mobility issues for Edman that prevented him from playing in the outfield. When he was able to play at all, he played second base.

Eventually, doctors found that he had a ligament injury that was causing chronic instability in his ankle and bone spurs that caused irritation. Edman had surgery to fix the ligament and remove the bone spurs in November 2025. He's begun light running but has not yet started baseball activities.

Edman's timeline to return is currently on track for the end of May barring a setback. Kiké Hernández IL Update Hernández had surgery in November 2025 to debride and clean up his elbow. This has been described as a fairly routine procedure that did not involve the UCL or any sort of Tommy John-like surgery.

Hernández played nearly the entire 2025 season with the injury, which very likely had something to do with his worst production at the plate in nearly a decade. When he returns he will likely resume his role as the team's Swiss Army knife off the bench. While it wouldn't be unusual for him to get 250-plus PA, it also wouldn't be unusual for him to be a non-factor in fantasy baseball despite hitting in one of the best offensive lineups in the game.

Breaking Down the 2B Candidates Hyeseong Kim: Early Favorite Is A Work In Progress Kim dealt with shoulder bursitis in 2025 that put a significant dent in his production at the plate. He played in 37 games during May and June, rotating in at second base with Rojas and Edman, and slashed . 383/.

425/. 543 in 87 PA. At that point the shoulder must have become a problem.

Sandwiched around a missed month of August, from July 1 through the end of the season, Kim batted just . 175/. 195/. 225.

Kim seemed to put all that to rest this spring when he put together a . 407/. 448/.

519 mark in 30 PA.

However, Kim spent a significant amount of time with the Korean team at the World Baseball Classic, which left him little time to work on the adjustments and timing that were a problem in 2025 regardless of the injury because of his 30% strikeout rate. The Dodgers decided that Kim needs to play every day to work on his swing decisions and plate discipline. That's what led to the surprise demotion to the minors to begin the 2026 season.

In a surprising move, the Dodgers named Alex Freeland to their Opening Day roster over Hyeseong Kim, citing consistent playing time and quality of at-bats as the main factors. Freeland and Miguel Rojas will platoon second base. More on today's news: https://t.co/q25xDj

KDLi— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) March 23, 2026 Miguel Rojas: Glove-First Veteran Steps Up When Needed Manager Dave Roberts never met a veteran player who didn't deserve his loyalty. Miguel Rojas fits that description, as does Kiké Hernández. Rojas is one of those players who does a little bit of everything without doing anything at a high level.

He's played every position on the field except catcher (yes, he's pitched). He can run a bit but isn't particularly fast. He can hit home runs but is not a power hitter by any measure.

Roberts likes his versatility and the fact that he's a . 271/. 331/.

405 hitter against left-handed pitchers. Alex Freeland: Versatile Prospect Gets Surprise Call Freeland would probably benefit more from seasoning at the Triple-A than Kim. The switch-hitting 2B/3B looked overwhelmed during a cup of coffee in 2025, batting .

190/. 292/. 310 over a little less than 100 PA.

On the plus side, he doesn't chase out of the zone and has a solid contact rate on pitches in the zone. He needs to be a little less patient and a little more aggressive in going after his pitch; the kind of selectiveness that comes with repetition and experience, both of which he lacks.

Freeland will get the strong side of the platoon at second with Rojas, but once Edman returns he could end up back in the minors. The Dodgers will have Freeland, Rojas, Hernández, and Edman, along with Alex Call and Santiago Espinal, who is out of minor league options. Those six will somehow have to be squeezed into four roster spots.

Strategies For Fantasy Managers Everybody wants a piece of the Dodgers powerhouse lineup on their fantasy baseball roster, even if it's only a tiny piece. Still, it's hard to justify a roster spot for half of a platoon like you'd get with Rojas or Freeland, making both of them waiver wire fodder outside of the deepest NL-only leagues. The best strategy you could apply here would be to stash Kim away and hope for a promotion and plenty of playing time.

There are 25-30 stolen bases in there, given his 85th percentile Sprint Speed. Stolen bases, a decent batting average, and gobs of runs scored in the Dodgers lineup is there if he gets the gig. People Want To Know More About Dodgers' Injuries Who is the Dodgers' Opening Day second baseman in 2026?

It will be a platoon of Miguel Rojas and Alex Freeland Is Tommy Edman injured for 2026? Yes. Edman is recovering from November 2025 ankle surgery and is out until at least late May.

What is Hyeseong Kim's fantasy value? Kim has solid upside for batting average, steals, and runs in the stacked Dodgers lineup if he's given the full time 2B job. Should I draft Alex Freeland in fantasy?

Yes. He'll have value in deeper NL-only and dynasty leagues as a prospect with upside. How does Kiké Hernández fit into the Dodgers plans?

He should resume his utility role when he gets healthy. He offers a little pop in the deepest NL-only formats. When does Tommy Edman return from IL?

The latest timeline has him returning at the end of May. He'll need a minor league rehab assignment to ramp up. Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 3:19 PM.