*This content was translated by AI.
A sudden and major setback has occurred for Doosan Bears, which is continuing its fierce battle for a spot in the top five. Wes Benjamin (33), who has served as the team's foreign ace, has been sidelined due to a shoulder injury.
On the 21st, ahead of their home game against Lotte Giants at Seoul Jamsil Stadium in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season, Doosan removed Benjamin from its first-division roster.
According to Doosan officials, Benjamin had been complaining of discomfort in his shoulder area and underwent a detailed medical examination at a hospital on the 21st. The diagnosis revealed minor damage to his left subscapularis muscle.
For now, Benjamin will rest without throwing pitches while remaining off the first-division roster. He plans to focus on recovery for one week and then coordinate his return date through a follow-up examination.
This season, Doosan has recorded 57 wins, 50 losses, and 4 ties, placing them alone in fifth place in the league. They are 6.5 games ahead of sixth-place NC Dinos and 2.5 games behind third-place KIA Tigers. The team is in a position to not only qualify for the postseason but also potentially aim for an even higher ranking.
Benjamin's role has been significant in this achievement. Ahead of this season, Doosan signed Chris Flexen. However, Flexen complained of back pain after just two appearances and was sidelined. The pitcher Doosan signed to replace Flexen was none other than Benjamin. The contract size was a total of $50,000 (approximately 75 million won) for six weeks. At the time, a Doosan official explained, "Benjamin has been a stable starting pitcher in the KBO League for three seasons. We judged him to still be a competitive player and expect him to minimize gaps in our rotation."
Since then, Benjamin has made 19 starts this season, recording 5 wins, 7 losses, an ERA of 2.53, over 106⅔ innings with 100 hits allowed (5 home runs), 28 walks, and 108 strikeouts, allowing 38 runs (30 earned). His WHIP is 1.20, and his batting average against is 0.247. He has achieved a quality start (six innings with three or fewer earned runs) on 10 occasions.
As the injury to existing foreign pitcher Flexen prolonged, Doosan ultimately reached out to Benjamin first. On July 2, Doosan signed Benjamin to a definitive contract worth $450,000 (approximately 700 million won).
Benjamin was performing well in his most recent game on the 18th against NC Dinos, where he successfully pitched five innings, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out five batters, giving up three runs (one earned). However, following that game, he began complaining of shoulder pain and will be unable to take the mound for the time being. For Doosan, the best-case scenario is for Benjamin to receive a clean bill of health at his follow-up examination scheduled for one week from now.
Meanwhile, Benjamin was selected by the Texas Rangers in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Before coming to Korea, he appeared in 21 games (three starts) in the major leagues through the 2021 season, posting a record of 2 wins and 3 losses with an ERA of 6.80. In the minor leagues, he played in 139 games (123 starts), recording 36 wins, 37 losses, and an ERA of 4.91.
Thereafter, Benjamin played for KT Wiz from the 2022 season through the 2024 season, spanning three years. In 74 KBO League appearances while with KT, he pitched 406⅓ innings, posting a record of 31 wins and 18 losses with an ERA of 3.74. Notably, in 2023, he won 15 games, ranking second in the league for victories.
Above all, he is well known as a pitcher who loves Korea. During the 2023 postseason while playing for KT, he appeared wearing a cap inscribed with the word "ITAEWON," sharing in the pain of the Itaewon tragedy. He also frequently engaged in donation activities alongside his foreign teammates whenever possible, demonstrating his warm heart for Korea.
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*This content was translated by AI.
