*This content was translated by AI.
Atlanta Braves infielder Kim Ha-sung (31), who signed a single-year contract for the 2026 season, made his first public appearance since his injury, expressing his feelings honestly. Although his start of the season was delayed due to an unexpected injury, he strengthened his will to return to the ground in good health.
Kim Ha-sung announced his updates to his fans through a video released by Atlanta on the club's official YouTube channel on the 6th. It is believed that the video was filmed by visiting the site of the fan festival. He was more intense than ever during the offseason, so the regret for this injury was even stronger.
During the interview, Kim Ha-sung mentioned the injury and said, "I actually prepared really hard during the offseason. But unfortunately, I'm not feeling very good personally because I'm hurt again. But I'm thinking that I can come back as soon as possible, thinking about the following. I've heard that the results are also good so far. I will go back as soon as possible and win the game with my team members," he said.
Both South Korea and the United States were surprised by the news of Kim Ha-sung's injury. The Atlanta club said on the club's official channel on January 19, "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 recovery period is expected to be four to five months," the release said.
The circumstances of the injury were also very unfortunate. Multiple media outlets, including Major League Baseball's official website MLB.com , explained, "Kim Ha-sung was staying in his home country of Korea, and he slipped on the icy road." As a result, not only the World Baseball Classic (WBC) scheduled for March but also the season's opening game failed. After the surgery, he will go through recovery and rehabilitation. Local media are looking to return to the country around May.
In fact, Kim Ha-sung heated up the US FA (Free Agent) market ahead of the 2026 season. It received high evaluation among authentic shortstop resources and received attention. In particular, he even received an offer on a multi-year contract, but chose Atlanta, his former team. It was worth 20 million dollars a year (about 29.3 billion won).
As for the reason for staying, Kim Ha-sung said, "I've known the passion of Atlanta fans since I was on another team. Personally, returning to Atlanta was the number one priority. I also forwarded it to the agent. "I appealed to the agent myself and chose this club because I had good colleagues, good staff, and passionate fans," he explained directly.
He also did not forget the pride of the Korean infielder who plays in the Major League. "There are not many Korean players playing in the Major League and not many who played in the Major League as children," said Kim Ha-sung, who developed his dream of becoming a major league player using Park Chan-ho (53), who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers as a role model. That's why it's an opportunity to promote Korea. If I do well, Korean players who dream of becoming major leagues will be able to challenge themselves. I think that's why I was given responsibility," he said.
Finally, Kim Ha-sung said to the fans waiting for him, "I will show you playing on the field again in good health," adding, "I was so grateful for the fans' enthusiastic support I felt while playing the game." I finished the interview with the promise that I will return quickly once again and repay you with good results."
Although he met the reef of an unexpected injury, Kim Ha-sung's eyes were already facing the mound and at-bat to stand again. As he said, fans are looking forward to the day when "Healthy Kim Ha-sung" will defend Atlanta's infield again.
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*This content was translated by AI.
