[Official] KBO teams participating in the Futures League to increase the foreign player limit from 4 to 6 "To strengthen league competitiveness through expansion of foreign players in the Futures League"

*This content was translated by AI.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) held its third executive committee meeting on the 2nd of this month to discuss and finalize matters including the increase in active players for the KBO League, adjustments to the timing of expanded rosters, and regulations on foreign players for teams participating in the Futures League.

▶ Increase in active players for the KBO League and early implementation of expanded rosters

Considering the dispatch of players from each team to the upcoming 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the number of active players eligible for registration has been increased from 29 to 30 (30 registered, 28 eligible to play). This regulation will apply only during the second half of this season (after the All-Star break).

Additionally, the expanded roster system, which has been applied annually since September 1 for the purpose of developing player rosters and preventing injuries, will be implemented one week earlier, starting August 25. The decision to implement the expanded roster early was made considering the trend of early season openings, the extended period of extreme heat, and the disparity in remaining games among teams after the restructuring period.

However, since the roster has been increased by one player from this season onward, the number of additional players will be adjusted from the previous 5 to 4, maintaining a maximum of 34 registered players and 32 eligible to play.

▶ Increase in the foreign player limit for teams participating in the Futures League (citizen teams)

To strengthen the competitiveness of the league through the expansion of foreign players in the Futures League, the limit on foreign players for teams participating in the Futures League (citizen teams) will be increased from the current 4 to 6.

As a result, the regulations on the number of foreign players who can transfer from a Futures League team to a KBO team will also change. While the total number of players who can transfer remains unchanged at 5 regardless of whether they are domestic or foreign, the number of foreign players who can transfer will be limited to a maximum of 4.

Furthermore, regarding the plan to exclude transfer fees from the calculation of foreign player employment costs when transferring to a KBO team, the current regulations will be maintained, and the matter will be re-discussed after observing the implementation results this year.

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*This content was translated by AI.