[Official] SSG in Crisis with '9th Place Drop + Injury to Guillermo Heredia' Temporarily Signs Blay Mardis as Replacement

*This content was translated by AI.

After suffering consecutive losses and dropping to ninth place, SSG Landers faced a crisis when foreign hitter Guillermo Heredia (35) was sidelined due to injury. The team quickly secured a temporary replacement card before the second half began, allowing it to breathe a sigh of relief.

On the 16th, SSG signed Blay Mardis (30) as a temporary replacement foreign player for Heredia's injury at a total cost of $100,000 (approximately 147 million won).

To minimize the gap left by Heredia, who suffered a shoulder injury, SSG selected Mardis, who has been a regular starter in Triple-A in the United States this season.

Standing at 185 cm and weighing 94 kg, Mardis possesses an excellent physique. He is a hitter with strong power, combined with solid contact ability and plate discipline. He can also play both corner outfield positions and first base.

A native of Las Vegas, United States, Mardis was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 9th round as the 268th overall pick in 2017. He later proved his exceptional power-hitting ability with 73 career home runs in Triple-A and demonstrated stable plate discipline with a .350 on-base percentage. Mardis, who debuted in the Major Leagues in 2022, appeared in 72 games over three MLB seasons, recording two home runs, a batting average of .204, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .559.

This season, he played in 71 games for Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, recording 14 home runs, a batting average of .277, an on-base percentage of .389, a slugging percentage of .519, and an OPS of .908. In particular, he showed clutch performance with a .338 batting average and a 1.097 OPS in scoring position situations.

SSG judged Mardis to be the ideal resource to fill the void in their lineup, viewing him as an offensive hitter capable of consistently producing hard-hit balls, possessing strong determination to challenge the KBO League, and maintaining peak performance up until recently.

After finalizing his contract, Blay Mardis stated, "I am happy to become a member of SSG Landers. I will adapt to the league and team as soon as possible and inject vitality into the team's lineup."

Meanwhile, Mardis is scheduled to join the team on the 16th and is set to play in the KBO League once administrative procedures are completed.

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*This content was translated by AI.