Ak! Kim Ha-sung was hit with a 154km fastball and screamed, almost got in big trouble ahead of his return to ML...Even TB invested 17.7 billion won is a surprise

Jun 24, 2025

Kim Ha-sung is in pain as he is hit by a ball during a U.S. Minor League Triple-A rehabilitation game and holds his right elbow. Photo courtesy = Minor League broadcast capture

It was a moment when both the Tampa Bay race and Kim Ha-sung were surprised. Kim Ha-sung almost left due to another injury ahead of his return to the big league.

Kim Ha-sung started the game against Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple A Team under the Kansas City Royals) as the second batter and shortstop on the 23rd (Korea Standard Time) and was hit by the ball in his last at-bat as the leadoff hitter in the top of the ninth inning. The 95.8-mile-per-hour sinker thrown by opposing pitcher Ryan Hendricks headed to the right elbow without a protector.

Kim Ha-sung pulled himself back, but he couldn't avoid the ball and screamed as soon as he was hit. I held my right elbow and was in pain for a while. A surprised training coach ran to check his physical condition. Fortunately, Kim Ha-sung quickly removed his protective gear and walked out to first base, perhaps without hitting his elbow. Kim Ha-sung remained in the game without being replaced by a pinch runner, and the next batter hit a ground ball to the second base and finished the game as he was forced out of the second base. There is no update from the club regarding Kim Ha-sung's injury.

Kim Ha-sung received surgery on his right shoulder in October last year and devoted himself to rehabilitation, but has now reached the stage of learning his sense of practice. Since the 27th of last month, he has been improving his condition by playing rehabilitation games for the Durham Bulls, a triple-A team under Tampa Bay. Recently, he has completely played defense as a shortstop, and is expected to return to the team at the end of this month or early July. It was delayed by about a month from May, when he was expected to return at the time of his injury.

Tampa Bay signed a two-year total of $29 million (about 39.6 billion won) as an FA contract with Kim Ha-sung in February. Kim Ha-sung, who was considered the biggest FA shortstop, had seen his stock price drop sharply after his shoulder injury, and the market's response had cooled. Rather, Tampa Bay, a small market team, took the opportunity to recruit the top shortstop in the Major League at a relatively low price thanks to the injury.

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Ha-Seong KIm (L) steps out of the batting cage during warmups before a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida on Friday, March 28, 2025. Photo by Steve Nesius/UPI

Kim Ha-sung will receive an annual salary of 13 million dollars (about 17.7 billion won) this year. He is the highest paid person in the team. Depending on the number of at-bats, the option of $2 million (about 2.7 billion won) can be executed. It was natural to put the option on the line because he was injured. In 2026, the annual salary is $16 million. If Kim Ha-sung does not execute the opt-out after this season, he will receive up to 31 million dollars (about 42.3 billion won) for two years.

After his injury, Kim Ha-sung made up his mind to re-take the FA again. This is why they agreed to a short-term contract with Tampa Bay. In order to rejoin the FA, he had to return to the Major League as soon as possible this year and prove that he is a player who can sign a contract of $100 million (about 136.7 billion won).

The batting has not yet risen as expected. Kim Ha-sung had a batting average of 0.184 (9 hits in 49 at-bats) and four RBIs in 15 Triple-A games. Instead, he has picked up 11 walks and has a high on-base percentage of 0.344. If there is no major obstacle to shortstop defense, Tampa Bay is expected to use Kim Ha-sung in the Major League soon.

Kim Ha-sung started his big league career in 2021 by signing a four-year, $28 million (about 38.2 billion won) contract with the San Diego Padres. Kim Ha-sung is San Diego's main shortstop and second baseman, who has played an outstanding defense and showed off his fast feet to energize his offense. In 2023, he proved his top performance in the big league by winning the Gold Glove for the first time in Asian infielder history. Until last year, his overall big league performance was 540 games, a batting average of 0.242 (418 hits in 1725 at-bats), 47 homers, 200 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.706.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 25: Ha-Seong Kim of the Tampa Bay Rays looks on from the dugout during the third inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on April 25, 2025 in San Diego, California. Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Orlando Ramirez / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.