The San Diego Padres have said the early prognosis on Kim Ha-seong’s injured right shoulder is “mostly favorable,” though there’s no timeline set for his return yet.

Padres manager Mike Shildt addressed the media in Minneapolis on Monday (local time) after receiving results of the MRI on Kim’s shoulder prior to the Padres’ game against the Minnesota Twins.

Kim jammed his right shoulder in a dive back to first base on a pickoff attempt during Sunday’s game against the Colorado Rockies in Denver. Kim was safe on the play but immediately signaled to the dugout for help. He got up, grabbing his right shoulder in obvious pain, and walked off the field under his own power.

“It seems to be mostly favorable, but there’s zero timeline to it,” Shildt was quoted as saying on MLB.com. “Other than that, it could always be a lot worse. We’re initially fairly pleased with what it looks like. We’re still gathering information.”

Though the manager was not prepared to say much beyond that, he did say it was a positive sig
n that Kim was not immediately put on the injured list (IL). Kim has never been on the IL since joining the Padres before the 2021 season.

“It doesn’t look like there’s anything imminent that’s going to be long term,” Shildt added.

Tyler Wade, Kim’s primary backup at shortstop who replaced the South Korean on the bases Sunday, got the start at the position for Monday’s game. Shildt said Kim would not be available off the bench in this game.

This is the final season of Kim’s four-year, US$28 million contract with the Padres. The deal has a $10 million mutual option for 2025. He may decline that because he could command more money in a longer deal in the open market, but the severity of his shoulder injury might impact that situation.

Kim is batting .233/.330/.370 this season with 11 home runs, 47 RBIs and 22 steals in 121 games.

He won the National League Gold Glove at the utility position last year, becoming the first Asian-born infielder to nab the top defensive prize after splitting time at second base
, shortstop and third base. He is back to being a full-time shortstop this year, but his defense has slipped, according to advanced metrics.

Source: Yonhap News Agency