South Korean baseball officials confirmed Monday that Kim Ha-seong of the Atlanta Braves and Song Sung-mun of the San Diego Padres will miss the World Baseball Classic because of injuries.
The Korea Baseball Organization announced that neither MLB player will be able to participate in the tournament scheduled for March 5–17. South Korea is set to play all of its group-stage games in Tokyo, where it will face Japan, Australia, Chinese Taipei, and the Czech Republic in the opening round.
Song, who joined the Padres in December, picked up an oblique injury during a recent batting practice session. According to a source familiar with the matter, he is expected to miss up to four weeks. While that recovery window would likely allow him to be ready for the WBC, Song has reportedly chosen to remain in Padres camp during spring training to compete for a spot on the roster.
Kim, meanwhile, recently had surgery to fix a torn tendon in the middle finger of his right hand after slipping on ice in South Korea. The Braves announced Sunday that he will be sidelined for four to five months.
Kim signed a one-year contract with Atlanta as a free agent after spending the latter half of the injury-riddled 2025 season with the team.
Kim would have been the clear choice to start at shortstop for South Korea at the WBC, bringing a rare combination of Gold Glove-caliber defense, speed, and power. Song, meanwhile, would have added valuable flexibility to the lineup, with the ability to play third base, second base, and first base, along with left-handed offensive production.
The national team is set to conclude its preliminary training camp in Saipan this week. The first group, consisting of three coaches and 22 players, will return home on Tuesday, while a second contingent made up of six players, five coaches, and manager Ryu Ji-hyun will arrive back on Wednesday.
South Korea’s next training phase will begin on February 15 in Okinawa, Japan.
The team will be aiming to advance past the opening round for the first time since its runner-up finish in 2009.
