KIA foreign batter Patrick Wisdom, who has been rehabilitating for three weeks due to a back injury, has finally stepped up to the plate. Can Wisdom offer a refreshing change to the KIA Tigers lineup, which has been struggling?
A KIA Tigers official noted to reporters on the 30th during the seventh game of the season against the Shinhan SOL Bank KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park that "Wisdom started as the designated hitter batting third in the exhibition game held today against the SoftBank Hawks' third team in Gwangju."
Wisdom, who became KIA's new foreign batter for an aggregate of $1 million (approximately 1.4 billion won), recorded a batting average of .249 with 9 home runs, 26 RBIs, and 25 runs over 35 games this season before being removed from the roster on the 13th due to a back injury. At that time, manager Lee Beom-ho expected Wisdom to return in ten days, but with the injury taking longer than expected, it was only after 17 days that the first real game in the Futures League was held on the 30th.
Against the SoftBank Hawks' third team in Nippon Professional Baseball, Wisdom started as the designated hitter batting third, recording no hits in 2 at-bats and 1 walk. He struck out in his first at-bat, followed by a fly-out to center field, and recorded a walk before being replaced by Go Jong-wook.
Wisdom is expected to play through the Futures League games until the 31st, after which a specific date for his first team registration will be announced. If there are no issues with his back during the game on the 31st, his comeback is anticipated in the KT game on June 1.
KIA, along with Wisdom, is barely maintaining its mid-tier position as key players such as Kim Do-young, Na Sung-bum, and Kim Sun-bin are sidelined with injuries. After the cold performances at the plate in the draws against the Kiwoom Heroes on the 29th (3-3) and the loss against KT on the 30th (1-3), manager Lee Beom-ho analyzed, "The lack of scoring is due to the absence of key players. Younger players are stepping up, but they need to gain experience to hit like Choi Hyung-woo when it matters. Experienced batters definitely have an advantage."
Among the injured players, the foreign batter who needs to make an impact first is KIA. Wisdom, who has hit 88 home runs in Major League Baseball, could potentially be the savior for the struggling KIA. Manager Lee Beom-ho expressed great expectations regarding Wisdom's return, saying, "The difference between having and not having a foreign batter is significant. A foreign batter can create tension for opposing pitchers just by being there."
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