*This content was translated by AI.
The luckless Atlanta Braves in the U.S. Major League Baseball quickly filled the injury gap of Kim Ha-sung (31).
Major League Baseball reporter Francis Romero said on the 20th (Korea time) that Jorge Mateo (31) signed a one-year, one-year, one-million-dollar contract with Atlanta.
It came a day after the announcement of Kim Ha-sung's finger surgery. The day before (19th), Atlanta said, "Kim Ha-sung suffered a ruptured tendon in his right middle finger 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.
Kim Ha-sung, who declared FA after the end of last season, was staying in Korea. In the meantime, his U.S. agent Scott Boras searched for a place to transfer, and last month agreed to a total of $20 million (about 29.5 billion won) for a year with Atlanta.
However, the icy road caused by the recent cold wave was a problem. 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. Naturally, the absence of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), which will be held in March, has been confirmed.
As Kim Ha-sung's return in the first half became virtually uncertain, Atlanta, which had less than a month before the start of spring camp, also became urgent. 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.
The result of the quick move was utility player Matteo. Matteo from the Dominican Republic made his big league debut with the San Diego Padres in 2020. In 2021, he briefly shared the same team with Kim Ha-sung, but was soon traded to the Baltimore Orioles and played until last year.
He is a typical backup infielder with a batting average of 0.221 (288 hits in 1303 at-bats), 30 homers, 121 RBIs and 106 steals, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.629. The best time was in 2022, when he ranked first (35 steals) in the American League in 2022, and even then, his batting average was only 0.221 and his OPS was 0.646.
The true value of Matteo is positional versatility based on excellent athleticism. He played the most innings as a shortstop with 2,320 ⅓ innings in 294 games, and experienced all positions except first base, including 638 ⅔ in 85 games and 193 innings in center field.
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*This content was translated by AI.
