Since the Dodgers announced that Mookie Betts is coming back after spending 5 weeks in the IL, rumor mills were working overtime to find who would be sidelined to make space for him. The Dodgers had to either option Hyeseong Kim or Alex Freeland to the minors, designate Santiago Espinal for assignment, or move Miguel Rojas. However, manager Dave Roberts seems to have put an end to all speculations.

“Alex Freeland was optioned, source confirms. That’s the corresponding move for Mookie Betts coming off the IL,” MLB insider Fabian Ardaya shared via X.

It was already set that Betts would return tonight against the Giants. Roberts was already working on who to move from the active roster to make way for Betts. “We’ve got a tough decision,” Roberts said a day back. “All of the options, potentially for the corresponding move, these guys have done a great job and served a very good purpose for our club. It’s a good problem in the sense of where we’re at. But it’s a (tough) conversation.”

The tough decision is here, and Freeland is moving to the minors. Considering how Freeland burst into the MLB scene on Opening Day, Roberts’ decision surely feels tough.

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On Opening Day, the Dodgers were called out for leaving Hyeseong Kim in the minors. Freeland was the reason; the Dodgers optioned Kim, and Freeland served them well in the first game. He started the year off with a bang, hitting a double and a home run in the first game of the season against the Diamondbacks. However, the momentum kept on fading with time.

The 24-year-old presently has a .235/.309/.337 slash line through 33 games this season. He had scored just two homers and eight RBIs through 98 at-bats. Freeland was preferred over Kim because of his exceptional walk rate. He had 10 walks this year before joining the MLB. However, as the season went deeper, nothing special came out of him. Kim was again called up after Betts’ injury, and he is just three walks behind Freeland currently.

Still, for the Dodgers, Mookie Betts’ return is what matters most. Before getting sidelined, he was hitting just .179, but the eight-time All-Star’s presence in the lineup matters a lot. In addition to that, his presence might pull the Dodgers out of their recently slumping offense and lengthen their batting order. It was during the Dodgers’ third series of 2026 when Betts got injured with a right oblique strain. The Dodgers filled his void with a three-man platoon.

Infield duty was assigned to Kim, Miguel Rojas, and Freeland. Kim delivered a respectable .737 OPS during his time at shortstop. Freeland managed the second base while Rojas played up the middle on occasion. So, with Betts returning, the infield was to be shaken up.

Hyeseong Kim is saved from the Dodgers’ lineup shakeup

The Dodgers optioned Kim to the minors for Freeland at the start of this season, but after their shakeup for Betts’ return, Kim got saved while Freeland got optioned. Reason? Kim’s performance.

Kim has played 29 games since Betts was sidelined, and he’s hitting .289 with 1 HR and 8 RBIs. Moreover, his .748 OPS and above-average defense at shortstop helped him stay back in the roster. “I think that he’s done a much better job of controlling the strike zone,” Roberts said of Kim. “I think that’s something that we felt he could be exposed by balls at the top, spin down below. He’s done a much better job of managing that, I think, so that’s probably the biggest thing.”

Now that Betts is back at shortstop, Kim will most likely take over second base from Freeland. On the other hand, Freeland now has the opportunity to regain his walk rate in the minors. The Dodgers are always prone to injuries, and another injury in the 162-game league could open the chance for him again. For Roberts, the tough decision was taken and left to be proved.