Unable to pitch in the upcoming South Korean baseball championship series due to injury, LG Twins right-hander Adam Plutko left the country Friday, his club LG Twins said. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Korea Bizwire) – The Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) is set to implement a substitute foreign player system beginning next season. This new system will permit teams to designate an injured foreign player for medical treatment lasting longer than six weeks and replace them with a substitute foreign player until the injured player is fit to return.
Of note, the substitute foreign player will not be included in the team’s substitution count. The injured foreign player will regain eligibility to participate in league matches after a minimum recovery period of six weeks.
Upon the injured foreign player’s return, the substitute must be either replaced with another foreign player (with one less registration) or released through the waiver process.
The cost of hiring a replacement foreign player is subject to a maximum cap of $100,000 per month, mirroring the cost of the original player.
This change comes in response to the observation that foreign players frequently face extended periods of incapacitation due to injuries, creating challenges for teams in maintaining a balanced roster.
It is expected that the introduction of this substitute foreign player system, along with other upcoming changes such as the automatic ball-strike system (ABS) and a pitch clock system, will bring significant transformations to professional baseball in the upcoming season.
The Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) is set to implement a substitute foreign player system beginning next season. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
