*This content was translated by AI.
The return of Kim Ha-sung (31, Atlanta Braves), who was delayed from the start of the 2026 season due to a very unfortunate injury falling on the icy road, could be slightly delayed from around mid-May, according to local predictions.
Ken Rosenthal, a renowned Major League Baseball reporter, took a cautious stance on the 20th (Korea Standard Time) by appearing on the baseball podcast "Foul Terry" and conveying Kim Ha-sung's return and Atlanta's plan to operate shortstop.
Rosenthal said, "Atlanta club officials expect Kim Ha-sung to return around mid-May, but they have not ruled out the possibility of his return being later than that. He expressed a conservative opinion that it is difficult to determine the exact timing of the rehabilitation process because there are always variables.
In the U.S., Kim Ha-sung's injury is also a very big issue. Moreover, there is a frame called "absurd injury" that he fell on the icy road, and each media deals with it greatly. The Atlanta club said on the club's official channel on the 19th, "Kim Ha-sung was injured while staying in Korea and was diagnosed with a ruptured tendon in the middle of his right hand." Dr. Gary Lurie underwent surgery in Atlanta. The rehabilitation and recovery period is expected to be four to five months," it said.
The club did not officially disclose the details of Kim Ha-sung's injury, but the background of Kim Ha-sung's unfortunate injury became known with the first report by Mark Bowman, a reporter in charge of MLB.com on the official Major League website. This is bad news for both the club and Kim Ha-sung, who watched the 2026 season "win-win" with a one-year contract of $20 million (about 29.4 billion won).
However, Rosenthal added that the situation in Atlanta is not very desperate. "Still, the club already secured Mauricio Dubon before recruiting Kim Ha-sung, so we avoided the worst," he said. "Dubon will fill the shortstop position for about six to eight weeks before Kim Ha-sung returns." Atlanta also recently signed infield backup Jorge Mateo, continuing to strengthen its depth.
In the end, Atlanta's early performance in the 2026 season depends on how solidly Dubon and Matteo block Kim Ha-sung's vacancy. As Kim Ha-sung's return is likely to be pushed back from mid-May to June, domestic fans' worries about the return of the Korean Major Leaguer are also expected to deepen.
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*This content was translated by AI.
