PHOENIX (AP) — Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim will have season-ending surgery on his ailing right shoulder, leaving the San Diego Padres without one of their best infielders heading into the postseason.
Kim initially suffered the injury on Aug. 18 in a game against the Colorado Rockies and hasn’t played since. The slick-fielding South Korean, who won a Gold Glove last year while playing mostly second base, was trying to return for the playoffs.
He has a small tear in his labrum.
“I really tried everything to come back and help the team,” Kim told MLB.com through an interpreter on Saturday. “But my body just wouldn’t listen to my mind. So I think, as of now, my season is over. It’s really frustrating and disappointing, because we have a legitimate chance in the postseason, and I could have been part of it.”
Kim was batting .233 with 11 homers and 22 stolen bases this season in 121 games. His future with the Padres is uncertain because he’s in the final year of a four-year contract. The deal has a mutual option for 2025, but Kim could decline if he feels he’s worth more on the open market.
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