Major League Baseball 132 home run slugger Yasiel Puig was not selected by the Kiwoom Heroes again this year, following 2022.

The Kiwoom Heroes organization said on the 19th, 'We requested a waiver notice for foreign hitter Yasiel Puig to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and signed a contract with right-handed pitcher Raul Alcantara as a replacement for the remainder of the season, at an aggregates total of $400,000 (approximately 500 million won), including a salary of $250,000 and an option of $150,000.'

The reason for Puig's waiver notice was a shoulder injury. The day before, he played normally until the game against the Ulsan NC Dinos, but he took the field suffering from shoulder pain.

On the same day, Puig stated on his personal account that, 'I have been trying to fully recover from my shoulder injury for several weeks, but I am still suffering from pain. As this situation continues, I had long discussions with the Kiwoom organization and made the difficult but important decision to head to Los Angeles, my hometown, for treatment.'

He added, 'I sincerely thank the Kiwoom organization for fully supporting this decision. I still have goals I want to achieve in my baseball life, and I determined that it was necessary to take these measures to achieve that goal.'

Puig, who became known among domestic fans as a close friend of Ryu Hyun-jin during his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, entered the KBO League in the 2022 season wearing a Kiwoom uniform, with a batting average of .277 in 126 games, 131 hits, 21 home runs, 73 RBIs, and 65 runs scored, also experiencing a Korean Series runner-up.

Kiwoom aimed to renew Puig's contract after the 2022 season, but variables arose as the player faced allegations of illegal sports gambling and perjury in the United States, leading to the decision to forgo his contract for the 2024 season. This was essentially a release.

Puig successfully made his return to professional baseball by signing a contract with Kiwoom for an aggregates total of $1 million ahead of the 2025 season. However, unlike three years ago, he struggled with lingering injuries, finishing with a batting average of .212 in 40 games, 6 home runs, and 20 RBIs, leading Kiwoom to acknowledge the failure of the two foreign hitters and move to acquire a pitcher, undergoing the pain of a second separation. Initially, there were rumors of Cadinez's release, but Kiwoom notified Puig, who had a shoulder injury, of his release.

Puig stated, 'Though I will not be able to return to Kiwoom this year, my heart is still with my Kiwoom teammates and fans. I have come to love you all very much and hold deep respect for you. I sincerely thank everyone who prioritized my health in making this difficult decision for their continued support. I will never forget.'

[OSEN]