"I thought he was gone..." Manager Dal's declaration of a season-ending suspension, Hanwha's Eom Sang-baek's lost two years... If he returns as a '10-win pitcher' in 2027

*This content was translated by AI.

'7.8 billion won pitcher' Eom Sang-baek (30, Hanwha Eagles) has ultimately had to postpone his comeback to another day.

Hanwha Eagles announced on the 23rd that "after Eom Sang-baek joined the rehabilitation team following the onset of pain in his right ulnar collateral ligament on March 31, a hospital examination revealed a bone fragment in his right joint and a tear in the medial collateral ligament, leading to a recommendation for surgery."

The surgery has already been completed. Hanwha stated, "On this day, medial collateral ligament reconstruction and bone fragment removal surgery were performed at Sejong Sports Orthopedics."

Eom Sang-baek was drafted first overall in the 2015 rookie draft by KT Wiz, where he primarily worked as a relief pitcher before transforming into a starting pitcher after 2022, becoming a pitcher capable of delivering double-digit wins.

Ahead of the 2025 season, Hanwha signed Eom Sang-baek to a four-year contract worth up to 7.8 billion won. With Cody Ponce (Toronto), Ryan Weiss (Houston), Ryu Hyun-jin, Moon Dong-ju, and Eom Sang-baek, the team built its strongest starting rotation and was immediately rated as a championship contender.

In the regular season, they finished second, trailing LG Twins by 1.5 games, and advanced to the Korean Series via the playoffs, where they lost to LG 1-4, settling for runner-up. Eom Sang-baek, who posted a 2-7 record with an ERA of 6.58 in 16 starts, would have changed the standings if he had added just two more wins. Thus, the investment became even more painful from a hindsight perspective.

Ahead of this season, he prepared with the mindset of starting from the ground up. With two foreign pitchers, Ryu Hyun-jin, Moon Dong-ju, and Asian quota pitcher Wang Yencheng expected to secure the starting rotation spots, he initially prepared for the season with the thought that he might serve as a relief pitcher.

However, he was unstable from the spring training games. In two appearances, Eom Sang-baek pitched 7 innings, recording 1 loss, 1 hold, and an ERA of 9.00. After the season opener, he appeared against his former team KT on the 31st of last month but was pulled after allowing 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run in 1/3 inning against Huh Kyung-min, including a direct headshot.

He subsequently complained of pain in his right elbow and was removed from the first-division roster, ultimately ending up on the operating table. Hanwha explained, "Details regarding the rehabilitation period and related matters will be decided after monitoring the post-surgical progress."

Manager Kim Kyung-moon effectively declared a season-ending suspension. Meeting with reporters before the game on the 23rd, Manager Kim said, "He himself was very disappointed last year and worked hard, but it turned out this way. He still has a long career ahead, so I told him to calm his mind. That's why FA can be stressful. After consulting with the club, we decided to proceed with surgery. I'm thinking of this season as if it doesn't exist."

Despite signing a 7.8 billion won contract, he now faces the situation of spending two seasons without contributing to the team. His own sense of despair must be immense.

For now, the best course of action is to focus intensely on rehabilitation and prepare to return to full health for next season. If he can achieve double-digit wins as a starter over the remaining two seasons or play a crucial role in the bullpen, Hanwha may feel the investment was not in vain. As Manager Kim said, it is a time to look far ahead and steady his resolve.

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*This content was translated by AI.