The Dodgers optioned Hyeseong Kim back to the minor leagues on Friday, as The California Post first reported, and re-signed former All-Star utilityman Santiago Espinal less than a week after designating him for assignment.

The move was part of a larger injury-induced shake-up to the Dodgers’ roster, after the team lost both Kiké Hernández (oblique strain) and Teoscar Hernández (hamstring strain) earlier this week.

Outfielder Ryan Ward was also officially called up on Friday, serving as Teoscar Hernández’s replacement on the roster and an option to platoon in left field with Alex Call.

Espinal, meanwhile, rejoined the organization after originally being DFA’d on Monday, in what was then a corresponding move for Kiké Hernández’s return from the injured list.

After clearing waivers this week and becoming a free agent, the Dodgers quickly re-acquired Espinal after Hernández went back on the injured list with his strained oblique. He will now return to his previous role as a right-handed-hitting bat off the bench.

Kim, meanwhile, was demoted to make room for Espinal on the roster.

Despite a strong start to his second MLB season, the glove-first infielder had struggled mightily at the plate in recent weeks.

Since May 8, Kim has batted just .174 with more than twice as many strikeouts (17) as hits (eight).

He will return to triple-A Oklahoma City for the second time this year, after originally failing to make the Dodgers’ opening day roster.

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“[It’s] just to kind of get Hyeseong back on track, to get [him] some regular at-bats,” manager Dave Roberts said.

“I think his swing has changed. He’s losing his legs a little bit. I think he’s coming around the ball a little bit. And there’s a lot more swing and miss than there was early. I think he is just playing a little bit –– with my eyes –– a little bit more tentative and not as free and easy as he was some parts of last year and early on [this year].”

Kim was already slated to see his playing time at the big-league level cut down, with Alex Freeland having been called up from triple-A earlier this week to take over a platoon role at second base. And while he could have been an option in the outfield, Ward’s arrival left the team’s lineup too left-handed heavy.

Thus, the Dodgers are hoping another minor-league reset can get Kim, who had been hitting over .300 before his recent slump, more consistent at the plate.

“[We] thought when he first came up, he’d done some really good work with our hitting guys down in Triple-A,” general manager Brandon Gomes said. “So our guys are going to get together as a group and put together a plan … and hopefully get him back to where he was earlier in the season.”

Espinal, a seven-year big-league veteran who has struggled to recapture the form that made him an All-Star in 2022, played sparingly for the Dodgers in his first stint with the team this season, batting only .220 in 41 at-bats.

His real value, however, came from his defensive flexibility, capable of slotting in across the infield and in the corner outfield spots. On a team with an established starting lineup, it also helped to round out the bench with an experienced player who wouldn’t be as impacted by limited playing time.

“With a star-studded team, you also have to have guys that know their roles,” Roberts said. “And Espy is a guy that is good on the team, understands his value, he’s ready when called upon.”

The Dodgers should have more reinforcements coming before long. Tommy Edman is almost through his first week of a minor-league rehab assignment, putting him on track to return from his offseason ankle surgery sometime early next month. Teoscar Hernández also avoided a worst-case scenario, diagnosed with only a Grade 1 strain that should put him on a shorter –– though still not defined –– timeline to return.

“We’re getting treatment for the next however many days, and then as he starts getting into things, how he’s responding, we’ll see,” Gomes said of Hernández. “But it’s not as severe as we had thought it was.”

In the meantime, the Dodgers will rely on Freeland, Ward and Espinal to provide depth. And they’ll see if Kim can turn things around in the minors.