Eventually, you have no choice but to call a spade a spade. Ha-Seong Kim is posting an incredibly disappointing season for the Tampa Bay Rays. Kim didn’t make his season debut until Independence Day, but Rays fans are feeling badly about the crown jewel acquisition of the offseason. Kim’s struggles have wide-ranging consequences for the Rays’ roster this season and into the future.
Ha-Seong Kim Struggling in Disappointing First Season with Rays
Kim’s 2025 debut was delayed due to right shoulder surgery following an injury sustained in August 2024. There were conflicting opinions from his agent, Scott Boras, and the San Diego Padres about exactly how long the infielder would remain on the injured list in 2025. It turned out that the Friars seemed to be more accurate in their reading of the situation.
The injury bug infected Kim in his very first game when he departed with leg cramping, and fortunately, the injury was day-to-day. Not the best way to start off a two-year, $29 million contract when the team already knew he would be missing the first few months of 2025. He then hit a moonshot two-run homer over the Green Monster at Fenway Park on July 10. Even though the Rays kept losing games, Kim made his presence known with a beautiful squeeze bunt against the Red Sox that his teammates botched.
Ha-Seong Kim has his first homer as a Ray in his 4th game with his new club! pic.twitter.com/8jNHzxS2an
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) July 11, 2025
Kim suffered yet another injury when he was placed on the 10-day injured list with a low back strain on July 22. He returned for the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but made little impact. Overall, Kim has a .222/.314/.311 with one home run, three RBI, and four stolen bases in 14 games. Still, there is still plenty of time, even though the early returns are not great.
Kim Falls But Walls Rises
While Kim has been plodding along in a Rays uniform, the incumbent Taylor Walls is grabbing hold of his opportunity and not letting go. Walls, 29, entered this season hitting .188 with 18 home runs, 98 RBI, and 145 runs scored in 379 games between 2021 and 2024. Walls showcased his typically excellent defensive chops but had difficulty finding playing time on a roster with Kim and, potentially, Carson Williams.
No matter, as Walls is slashing a stout .259 with two home runs, 11 RBI, and 10 runs scored in 26 games since July 4. Walls is emerging as a leader in the clubhouse and is very open about how he is working to overcome struggles off the field too.
Broad Ramifications for the Rays
All of this sets up an interesting predicament concerning the future of the shortstop position for Tampa Bay. First, Kim is more likely to opt in to the remaining year and $16 million left on his contract next season. That money may cause the Rays to feel queasy if he becomes an injury-prone player. The team could feel pressure to play Kim in order to justify that amount of money on the payroll. Meanwhile, Walls is proving to be an even more effective option by the day. His defense is outstanding. There’s also the looming Carson Williams factor. Williams certainly didn’t get off to a great start, but his numbers have improved.
The Last Word
It’s still incredibly early to call the Ha-Seong Kim experiment a failure. Having said that, one of the most important narratives for the Rays is the fate of Kim. Even if the Rays don’t make the playoffs, they have a lot of questions to answer, as they still plan to contend for the postseason in 2026. Kim will dictate a lot about how the Rays conduct their offseason business. The potential new ownership group should be able to afford moderately priced free agents, but they can’t stomach too many under-performing expensive players. The Rays make a lot of smart decisions in free agency, even if this signing proves to be one of the rare misses.
Main Photo Credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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