Rays' Kim Ha-seong misses 3rd straight game with calf injury, feels 'closer to normal'

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Kim Ha-seong makes a throw to first during a Major League Baseball regular-season game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minn., U.S., July 4. Reuters-Yonhap

The Tampa Bay Rays' new Korean shortstop Kim Ha-seong has missed a third straight game with right calf cramp, though he claimed to be feeling "closer to normal."

Kim made his season debut and also Rays debut last Friday (local time) against the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis but was forced to leave the game when his right calf cramped up after he got thrown out trying to steal third base in the seventh inning.

Kim, who signed a two-year contract with the Rays in February, had just returned after recovering from shoulder surgery he'd undergone in October while with the San Diego Padres.

Kim has not played since, though he has been practicing during the Rays' road trip.

Before the Rays lost to the Detroit Tigers 5-1 at Comerica Park in Detroit on Monday, Kim told Tampa Bay media that his leg "definitely feels closer to normal."

"Hitting in the cage and warming up felt pretty good. I think I'll have to go outside, go through all the team exercises, training and then see how it goes," Kim said. "I'm fine. There's no need for me to go on the injured list."

Kim won the National League Gold Glove at the utility spot in 2023, and the Rays will count on him to become their defensive anchor who can also provide some solid offensive production.

Elsewhere in Major League Baseball, Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants batted 1-for-4 with an RBI in his team's 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

Lee, stuck in a protracted slump dating to the start of June, was dropped down to seventh in the order — only the third time he has hit that low in the starting lineup this year.

After striking out in the bottom second, Lee got an infield single in the fourth when he poked a grounder into the hole on the left. Shortstop Trea Turner fielded the ball ranging to his right but didn't even attempt a throw.

Lee was credited with an RBI with a fielder's choice grounder in the bottom eighth, giving the Giants a 3-1 lead. With runners at the corners, Lee hit a hard ground ball right at first baseman Bryce Harper, who made an awkward throw home from his knees. Matt Chapman slid home safely from third, well ahead of catcher J.T. Realmuto's tag.

Lee is now batting .243 for the season.

Kim Hye-seong of the Los Angeles Dodgers went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in a 9-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

This was Kim's second straight start, but he batted 1-for-8 in those games, as his batting average plummeted from .356 to .337 in that span.