How did the Diamond Buddha come to this... Calf back, waist, serial injury. Tampa Bay's Kim Ha-sung, who has fallen to the worst physicality, is not guaranteed to be an FA next year

Aug 21, 2025

If it's this kind of physical, it could be turned away from the FA market next year.

Kim Ha-sung (Tampa Bay Race), who was aiming for the "100 million dollar FA jackpot", is on the verge of going up in smoke without even blooming properly. The plan to return to the FA market at the end of this season must be abandoned. Even if you go out too far, there is a high possibility that you will not receive any attention.

The problem is the FA market, which will return after next season. There is no choice at this time. He has to go to the market unconditionally because his two-year contract with Tampa Bay ends, but it is difficult to avoid the "catastrophe" with his current physical condition and performance. Above all, the physiological condition, which has weakened badly through a long rehabilitation period, is becoming a negative factor that lowers Kim Ha-sung's value to the floor.

It has also been revealed that Kim Ha-sung, who was praised for his 'hard durability', has been reduced to a glass body. I also had pain in my back. It is already the third injury since returning to the Major League in early July. In the meantime, injuries continued in the order of calf-waist-waist-waist.

Kim Ha-sung was excluded from the home game against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida on the morning of the 21st (Korea time). Originally, Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash submitted a list to try to play Kim Ha-sung as the sixth shortstop.

However, the lineup suddenly changed ahead of the start of the game. Kim Ha-sung was out, and Tristan Gray was placed in the 9th shortstop position. Usually, the list changes suddenly like this for only one reason. This situation occurs when a player complains of abnormalities in his or her physical condition ahead of the start of the game. Kim Ha-sung also complained of sudden back pain.

Mark Topkin, a reporter for Tampa Bay's local media outlet `The Tampa Bay Times" reported that shortstop Kim Ha-sung was rushed out of the starting lineup due to back pain. 'We will check the condition without being on the injured list (IL) for now,' it said.

It's not enough to be on the injured list, but it means it's not enough to play normally. In this case, you will not go to the game for a day or two, take a rest, and check whether the pain is recovered. However, if the pain does not decrease, it is likely to be included in the IL again.

It's the worst. This is because the third injury has already occurred in less than 50 days after returning. In the end, this means that Kim Ha-sung's overall body balance and durability have fallen into a mess as he has undergone shoulder rehabilitation over the past 11 months. In a word, it can be said to be clear evidence that it has become 'glass body'.

Kim Ha-sung, a member of the San Diego Padres last year, injured his right shoulder while head first sliding to return to first base against the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 19. Initially considered a minor injury, he eventually underwent shoulder surgery and went into long rehabilitation in October of that year. In the meantime, he boldly entered the FA market and signed a two-year contract with Tampa Bay.

However, the rehabilitation period was longer than expected. He originally sought to return in May, but he also had pain in his hamstring during the rehabilitation game. In the end, it wasn't until July that he was able to return to the major leagues.

Kim Ha-sung, who returned to the Major League after 320 days against Detroit on July 5, was no longer the old Kim Ha-sung. While stealing third base in his return game, he immediately suffered a calf injury and had to take three days off.

Then, on July 22, he had back pain against the Chicago Hite Sox and eventually had to enter the 10-day IL. I barely returned in early August, but I couldn't endure for less than a month and couldn't play due to back pain. In less than 50 days after returning, three injuries occurred that did not play the game properly. The fact that minor injuries continue is clear evidence that Kim Ha-sung's physicality has weakened that much.

Another problem is the sense of hitting, which is rarely revived. Since returning, he has only 18 hits in 84 at-bats, with a batting average of only 0.214. In particular, while he could only get eight walks, he struck out as many as 23. The fact that there are almost three times more strikeouts than walks means that he has completely lost his own strike frame at bat. It returned to the level of 2021 (22 walks/71 strikeouts) during its major debut season.

All of these conditions are in the process of bringing down Kim Ha-sung's 'FA value' to the bottom. Although he still has multi-defense capabilities, this alone cannot raise the ransom. If he fails to show a breakthrough rebound in durability and hitting ability in the 2026 season, Kim Ha-sung will be labeled as follows.

'A professional infield defense player with a bad batting average of early 20% in his early 30s. 'There is speed for more than 10 stolen bases in the season, but with a physique that is very vulnerable to injury'

If Kim Ha-sung comes to the FA market with this label as it is, he can only get a single-year or two-year short-term contract of less than $10 million a year, let alone a $100 million long-term contract. Kim Ha-sung is now at the biggest crossroads in his MLB career. The 2025 season is over anyway. Rather, it may be better to rest well and prepare for the 2026 season steadily from now on.

Reporter Lee Won-man wman@sportschosun.com

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.