'Oh my gosh' The Korean national team is out for four weeks due to an unexpected injury → What will happen to joining training camp + WBC

*This content was translated by AI.

A bad news has been hurt in the Korean baseball team. Song Sung-moon (31, San Diego Padres), who succeeded in entering the Major League Baseball (MLB), was injured even before his debut. There are variables in joining the spring camp early and whether to participate in the World Baseball Classic (WBC).

According to an official in the baseball community on the 17th, Song Sung-moon recently suffered an injury to his lateral muscles (inner abdominal muscles) during batting training in Korea. According to Song Sung-moon's agency official, he was diagnosed by the hospital that he needed more than four weeks to resume training, and is currently receiving intensive treatment at the Ijima Treatment Center in Yokohama, Japan.

After completing treatment, Song Sung-moon plans to move to Arizona, USA, the site of the San Diego spring camp, next month.

Due to the injury, Song Sung-moon's early camp training schedule in San Diego and his participation in the WBC tournament are also unclear.

The Korean baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Ji-hyun, left for Saipan on the 9th and is conducting the first camp. The team will return home on the 20th and 21st of next week. Song Sung-moon remained in Korea without joining the national team and was conducting individual training separately.

The second round of training will then be held in Okinawa, Japan, from the 15th of next month. It coincides with the U.S. spring camp. The group stage of the WBC finals will be held from March 5.

Meanwhile, Song Sung-moon signed a four-year contract worth $15 million (about 22.2 billion won) with San Diego in December last year and succeeded in advancing to the Major League, the stage of his dream.

Details of the contract were also disclosed. First, a down payment of 1 million dollars (about 1.5 billion won) will be divided into two. The down payment will be paid to Sungmoon Song in January 2026 and January 2027, respectively.

In addition, the annual salary for the 2026 season is $2.5 million, which is about 3.7 billion won in Korean money. He will then receive $3 million (about 4.4 billion won) in the 2027 season and $3.5 million (about 5.2 billion won) in 2028, respectively. On top of that, if he stays in San Diego as a player option in 2029, he will receive $4 million (about 5.9 billion won). Song Sung-moon will have the right to exercise his one-year option after playing for three seasons. In 2030, the fifth year, $7 million (about 10.4 billion won) of mutual options was included. If the mutual option is not implemented, the San Diego club will pay Song Sung-moon $1 million (1.48 billion won) as a buyout amount.

Song Sung-moon's goal is to enter the Major League's opening roster right now. First of all, considering the size of the contract, San Diego is unlikely to give Song Sung-moon a starting position right away. On top of that, Song Sung-moon said, "There is no right to reject the Minor League." It means you could spend quite a long time in the minor leagues if things don't work out while you're not guaranteed a 40-man roster. Therefore, the Major League exhibition game, which will be held from February, is more important, and we met an unexpected reef of injury.

Song Sung-moon said, "I know that there are some people who are worried about that part," regarding the expected tough competition for the starting lineup after entering the country. In fact, the U.S. is really the best stage. I think it's natural to compete no matter which team you go to. The same is true for both South Korea and the United States. There are many good players on any team. Now it's important for me to compete on the spot and show good performance. There will be many things to learn by being with good players. Just as (Kim)Ha-sung survived by competing with good players in the United States, I will prepare well to show that."

San Diego General Manager A.J. Preller said, "I expect you to take on various roles" regarding Song's role. In addition, regarding Song Sung-moon's participation in WBC, he said in an interview with local reporters in the United States, "We continue to talk about WBC with Song Sung-moon. "Our club is always actively supporting what the players want, including whether they will play in the WBC or not," he said.

Song Sung-moon played all games (144 games) in the 2025 season and was the best third baseman. He recorded a batting average of 0.315 (181 hits in 574 at-bats) with 26 home runs and doubles, four triples, 103 runs in 90 RBIs, 96 strikeouts on 68 walks, a slugging percentage of 0.530, an on-base percentage of 0.387, an on-base percentage of 0.917 on-base percentage of 0.372 and a pinch-hit batting average of 0.333. He was reborn as a third baseman for the national team by keeping Kiwoom's hot corner firmly. In the end, he was able to win the Golden Glove in the third baseman category. In the nine seasons of the KBO League, the overall performance is 0.283 (818 hits in 2889 at-bats), 80 homers, 144 doubles, 22 triples, 454 RBIs, 410 runs, 51 steals (nine failures), 294 walks, a ball with 444 strikeouts, a slugging percentage of 0.431, and an on-base percentage of 0.347.

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*This content was translated by AI.