Kim Do-yeong of the Kia Tigers (C) walks off the field after suffering a hamstring injury following a successful steal of second base during a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gwangju Kia-Champions Field in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers south of Seoul, in this file photo from May 27, 2025. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 22 (Korea Bizwire) — Sidelined since late May with his second hamstring injury of the season, the reigning South Korean baseball MVP Kim Do-yeong has been cleared for practice, his club announced Tuesday.
The Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said their star third baseman will return to full practice Wednesday. Kim had already started playing catch and hitting off the tee last Tuesday, the Tigers added.
The Tigers said the latest round of tests done on his right hamstring Tuesday came back clean, though they did not set a timetable for Kim’s return to game action.
Kim strained his right hamstring after a steal during a game on May 27. He had injured his left hamstring during the season-opening game on March 22 and returned on April 25.
In 27 games, Kim has a .330/.378/.630 line with seven home runs, 26 RBIs and three steals.
Kim’s injury is one of many that have threatened to derail the Tigers’ Korean Series title defense. They have overcome a slow start to jump to fourth place in the standings at 46-40-3 (wins-losses-ties) prior to their game against the LG Twins on Tuesday.
Kim authored a highly productive season in 2024, claiming the regular-season MVP trophy in a landslide after launching 38 home runs and stealing 40 bases. It made him the youngest member of the 30-30 club in KBO history at age 20.
Kim also set a single-season record with 143 runs scored. He batted .347/.420/.647 and had 109 RBIs, becoming the youngest player with a .300 batting average, 30 homers, 100 RBIs and 100 runs scored in the same season.
(Yonhap)
