The exact cause of the abdominal pain that forced San Diego Padres pitcher Kim Ha-seong to miss the team’s game against the Oakland Athletics on Aug. 18 (KST) is still unclear.
Kim was initially named to the starting lineup for the game against the A’s at Levi’s Central Coliseum in Oakland, California, USA. However, his name was suddenly removed from the lineup three hours before kickoff.
Before the game, San Diego head coach Bob Melvin told local reporters that it was due to “abdominal pain. Kim immediately underwent a medical examination.
After the game, the news broke. “After missing today’s game due to abdominal pain, it was determined that it was not appendicitis. Other tests are needed.” “He said his stomach was hurting and it didn’t get better after the game,” Melvin said.
MLB.com reported that “after several tests, it was determined that it was not a serious illness such as appendicitis, but team doctors are continuing to work on finding a diagnosis for Ha-Sung Kim. Appendicitis is a common cause of abdominal pain, but since it hasn’t been ruled out, more tests are needed.
According to Melvin, Kim’s abdominal pain started the night before and worsened when he arrived at the ballpark. Kim was scheduled to play third base that day, but Eggy Rosario was called up instead. Also, first baseman Jurickson Profar took over the leadoff spot in the batting order.
At this point, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Kim could end up on the disabled list (IL). Since making his major league debut in 2021, Kim has never been placed on the IL.
With their postseason hopes effectively dashed, San Diego is in the mood to clean house. Infielder Matt Carpenter, starting pitcher Darvish Yu, infielder Jake Cronenweth, catcher Gary Sanchez, and right-hander Tim Hill were recently placed on the DL. None of them are scheduled to return. There’s no point in pushing a player who is even slightly sore. The same approach can be taken with Ha-Sung Kim. On this day, San Diego used a whopping five backups and rookies in the starting nine.
Melvin recently gave an interview in which he expressed his concern about Kim’s injury risk. When Kim was absent from the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the 13th, he said, “Every time he hits the field, I’m worried something is going to happen to him. He’s not the strongest guy, but he plays hard with a lot of passion and integrity. So I was worried.”안전놀이터
San Diego, which defeated Oakland 10-1 on Sunday for its first four-game winning streak of the season, has 12 games remaining. They return home for a six-game series against the Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals on Sept. 19 before closing out the season with a six-game road trip against the San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox starting Sept. 26.
After playing in 150 games last year as he emerged as the starting center fielder, Kim has played in 143 games this season. He has already surpassed the plate discipline and set career highs in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.265), hits (133), home runs (17), runs scored (81), stolen bases (36), walks (70), and OPS (.764).
He’s three home runs shy of becoming the first Asian to reach 20 home runs and 30 doubles, but there’s no reason to get greedy.