Former Gold Glove infielder could be perfect infield solution for Royals this winter

The Kansas City Royals may not have been able to put together a season worthy of October baseball this year, but they were able to still salvage a winnig season.

While pitching was at the forefront of their success this season, what also can’t be discredited was the performance of their infield.

Both Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia arguably had seasons worthy of some degree of AL MVP consideration along with potential Gold Glove recognition, while Vinnie Pasquantino and his 32 HR and 113 RBI season earned him a Silver Slugger finalist nod alongside Witt and Garcia.

But the Royals found themselves lacking at the fourth infield position, second base.

Jonathan India put together his worst offensive season of his career with an 89 wRC+, and while Michael Massey was a productive hitter upon his late-August return to the lineup, he still spent much of the season on the IL and was just a 26 wRC+ hitter before he hit the shelf.

Second base seems to be one of the positions the Royals ought to seek solutions for this winter. There are certainly a few names that could either revitalize the position or logically fill a void with some stop-gap style solutions.

But perhaps an unconventional infield solution is in order here. Perhaps a traditional shortstop in Ha-Seong Kim could resolve their second base issues.

Royals shouldn’t dismiss the idea of Ha-Seong Kim at second base

At first glance there are numerous things that make this an awkward fit.

Kim only played five games at second this season and has only played there consistently in one of his five MLB seasons – back in 2023 with the Padres.

He’s also coming of an injury-ridden season to which he only slashed .234/.304/.345 with an 82 wRC+ in 48 games between the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves.

However, an awkward fit doesn’t mean no fit, as there are plenty of reasons as to why the Royals could be intrigued by Kim should he decline his player option in the coming days.

Before he suffered a shoulder injury that would ultimately require surgery before hitting the free agent market last season, Kim was as consistent as infielders come.

From 2022 to 2024, Kim was a reliable source of near-to-above average offensive production, posting wRC+ totals no lower than 101. This production would certainly be an upgrade over their current duo of India and Massey.

And after landing with the Braves, Kim was certainly a step up from the 73 wRC+ hitter he was with the Rays, posting a much closer to average with a 91 wRC+ in 24 games.

Then, in the last two seasons of his Padres tenure, he was a 20+ stolen base threat, with a near-40 peak. He also happened to post above average BsR ratings in each of his five big league seasons, proving he’s not just a speed threat but a valuable asset on the basepaths as well.

For a team, that struggled on the basepaths as much as Kansas City did in 2025 – posting a bottom 10 BsR total in MLB at -4.1 – adding a smart speed threat like that to the lineup could do wonders.

And then there’s the defense, that Gold Glove worthy defense. Kim won the award back in 2023 for the National League utility spot, ironically enough playing most of the season at second base.

That year in 106 games at second, Kim posted 10 DRS and 7 OAA. On top of that, Kim has proven to be just as valuable, if not more, at the more premium shortstop position, recording positive DRS and OAA totals in each of his first four seasons – including an 11 DRS and 6 OAA season there in 2022.

And all of this could come at a bargain, as Kim didn’t look himself on either side of the ball really coming off the IL in 2025, which bodes well for the small market Royals.

There’s always an element of risk to someone coming off a poor season like Kim, but there’s still every reason to think that 2025 was an anomaly.

Perhaps taking a flyer on Kim in a fully healthy season could see him return to his old ways, and where better to do it than the lower pressure position of second base, rather than his traditional shortstop position.