[Official] I slipped on the icy road! Kim Ha-sung's finger surgery → About 5 months of rehabilitation is inevitable 'WBC Korean national team is in a state of emergency'

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Ha-sung (31), who signed a one-year contract renewal with the Atlanta Braves this season, underwent finger surgery. At the same time, the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team is also on high alert.

The Atlanta club said on the 19th (Korea Standard Time), "Kim Ha-sung suffered a ruptured tendon in the middle of his right hand in Korea and underwent surgery on Dr. Gary Lurie in Atlanta. The recovery period is expected to be about four to five months," he officially announced.

According to Mark Bowman of the Major League's official website MLB.com , Kim Ha-sung was reported to have slipped on the icy road and was injured. It's a huge bad news for Atlanta. Atlanta re-captured Kim Ha-sung, who declared FA last month, by renewing his contract for a total of $20 million (about 29.5 billion won) per year.

Kim Ha-sung, who joined Atlanta at the end of the season due to a waver claim last year, hit 0.253 (22 hits in 87 at-bats) with three home runs and 12 RBIs (On base rate + slugging rate) of 0.684 in 24 games. It was a slight rebound from the Tampa Bay Rays, which had a batting average of 0.214 (18 hits in 84 at-bats) with two home runs, five RBIs and six steals and an OPS of 0.612 in 24 games.

In addition, Kim Ha-sung rejected the option of $16 million (about 23.7 billion won) for a year and declared an opt-out (player's right to become a FA after the season) due to the good news of not having an A-class shortstop in the FA market this year. Atlanta, which did not have a suitable shortstop alternative, eventually caught Kim Ha-sung on a one-year contract, but became a complete steal. U.S. media outlet MLB Trade Rumors said, "It's a very harsh fact for Atlanta. Recruiting Kim Ha-sung was one of the biggest achievements for Atlanta this winter," he lamented.

For that reason, "Kim Ha-sung's recruitment was to solve what could be the biggest weakness of the roster. "Last year, Atlanta's shortstop was the lowest in the Major League with wRC+ (adjusted scoring productivity)." "Atlanta shortstop's 0.4 fWAR (the contribution of victory over substitute players based on the fan graph) exceeded only the Cleveland Guardians and the Colorado Rockies. When he was healthy, Kim Ha-sung was a player who would stably earn 3-4 fWARs with his average Major League batting and excellent defense," he added.

It is disappointing for Kim Ha-sung as well. Kim Ha-sung has been suffering from injuries ever since he recorded 17 home runs, 60 RBIs and 38 steals in 152 games in 2023 and won the first major league gold glove (utility category) as an Asian infielder. In August 2024, ahead of the first FA, he suffered a shoulder injury and underwent surgery. As a result, his ransom, which was once expected to be a $100 million contract, fell vertically. Even after returning to the team in July last year, he suffered from various injuries such as back, calf and hamstring, and his batting performance was poor.

Again this time, he tried to sign a single-year contract to re-examine the FA, but now the stigma of being a player with frequent injuries is inevitable. MLB Trade Rumors pointed out that he listed injuries over the past two years and said, "Unfortunately, the word 'when Kim Ha-sung is healthy' is becoming an increasingly important expression when discussing careers."

Ryu Ji-hyun, who is aiming to pass the first round of the 2026 WBC in the U.S. in March, is also in a huge emergency. Kim Ha-sung was scheduled to play as the starting shortstop for the Korean national baseball team when he joined. However, following the recent departure of Song Sung-moon (30), Kim Ha-sung is also certain to be absent, making it difficult to form an overseas infield team.

MLB Trade Rumors said, "Kim Ha-sung's impactful performance can only be expected at the end of the first half at the earliest. Rehabilitation will end around mid-May, but additional time may be needed because he missed all of the spring camps and stayed on the injured list for most of last year. In the meantime, Atlanta can either use Mauricio Duvon as its main shortstop or try to trade Niko Horner (Chicago Cubs).

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*This content was translated by AI.