TB's highest-paid FA retake, but instead, the best prospect of the Hotajun tribe finally calls up to the verification stage!

Aug 22, 2025

TB's highest-paid FA retake, but instead, the best prospect of the Hotajun tribe finally calls up to the verification stage!
Tampa Bay Rays Kim Ha-sung is again on the injured list and is in a situation where he has to play FA 3 times. AP Yonhap News



TB's highest-paid FA retake, but instead, the best prospect of the Hotajun tribe finally calls up to the verification stage!
Kim Ha-sung catches Dominic Smith's ball in the bottom of the eighth inning against San Francisco on the 17th (Korea time). AP Yonhap News
Tampa Bay Race Kim Ha-sung was eventually excluded from the team again.

Tampa Bay announced on the 22nd (Korea time) "The club calls up shortstop prospect Carson Williams from Triple-A and lists shortstop Kim Ha-sung on the 10-day injured list (IL) due to back pain."

Since it will be applied retroactively from the 21st, Kim Ha-sung can return after the 31st.




Kim Ha-sung, who was on the IL with the same symptoms on the 23rd of last month, has been excluded from the team for the second time in about a month. 'FA retake' is actually a failure.

In 24 games, Kim Ha-sung marked a batting average of 0.214 (18 hits in 84 at-bats), two home runs, five RBIs, five runs, six steals, an on-base percentage of 0.290 and a slugging percentage of 0.321 and an OPS of 0.612.

Local media outlet Tampa Bay Times reported that `Kim Ha-sung will be on the IL for the second time in the past month due to a back injury' and 'Kim Ha-sung, who received the team's highest salary of $13 million this year and has a player option of $16 million (about 22.4 billion won) next year, hit 0.214 with an OPS of 0.612 in 24 games since his debut in Tampa Bay on July 5.'




TB's highest-paid FA retake, but instead, the best prospect of the Hotajun tribe finally calls up to the verification stage!
Kim Ha-sung hit in the early 20% range in 24 games since joining the big league early last month. AFP Yonhap News
However, Kim Ha-sung's IL registration period is not expected to be long. The media outlet expects Kim Ha-sung to stay for at least 10 days. Therefore, Williams' stay in the big leagues is likely to be short. Moreover, infielder Taylor Walls will also return from the IL soon.'"

If Kim Ha-sung returns on the 31st, the fastest in regulation, he can play in up to 28 more games until the end of the season. It should be seen that they have no choice but to give up the FA re-entry. In other words, next year's player option will be implemented as it is. No club will pay $16 million a year to a 30-year-old veteran who spent a year injured and rehabilitated in the FA market later this year. That is also impossible if it is a multi-year contract.

As for Kim Ha-sung, he seems to have signed a '1+1 year' contract because he could not guarantee his performance in 2025 last offseason, and as a result, it was a contract with the possibility of 'FA 3rd move' in mind. It was the strategy of agent Scott Boras at the time.




TB's highest-paid FA retake, but instead, the best prospect of the Hotajun tribe finally calls up to the verification stage!
Tampa Bay Race Kim Ha-sung and Chandler Simpson. AFP Yonhap News
Kim Ha-sung was scheduled to play as the 6th shortstop against the New York Yankees on the previous day (21st), but was urgently excluded from the lineup due to a sudden recurrence of back pain after training. Instead, Tristan Gray entered shortstop.

Kim Ha-sung was replaced by a back problem during a game against the Chicago White Sox on the 22nd of last month. As he hardly improved, he eventually went on the IL and took 10 days off before returning on August 2.

Kim Ha-sung joined Tampa Bay in the big league after starting a minor league rehabilitation game in late May and completing a month-long practice, but he has shown frequent replacements and irregular appearances by injuring his shoulder, hamstring and calf, and his plan to prove his revival with two back injuries has completely gone awry.

Meanwhile, Williams, who entered the Major League instead of Kim Ha-sung, is the best prospect in Tampa Bay Farm. Williams, a former first-round draft pick in 2021, has played 111 games in Triple-A this year, batting .213 (83 for 389) with 23 homers, 55 RBIs, 72 runs scored, 56 walks with 22 steals and an OPS of .765. He is ranked 47】th in the MLB pipeline ranking as a prospect of the Hota Jun class and No. 1 in Tampa Bay.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.