Estevan Florial, who is undergoing rehabilitation due to an injury, has been replaced by a temporary foreign player from the Hanwha Eagles, selecting a former teammate of Kim Ha-seong (Tampa Bay Rays) from his San Diego Padres days.
The professional baseball team Hanwha Eagles officially announced, "We have signed Luis Liberato (Luis Liberato, born in 1995, Dominican Republic) as the replacement foreign player for Estevan Florial, who has been listed as a foreign rehabilitative player due to a right pinky finger avulsion fracture (bone fragment formation)."
The duration of Liberato's contract is 6 weeks, with an aggregate value of $50,000 (approximately 68 million won).
According to Hanwha, left-handed batter and thrower Liberato is rated as a capable center fielder who produces strong hits based on fast swing speed and has a wide defensive range.
In Major League Baseball, he played 7 games with Kim Ha-seong as part of the San Diego Padres in 2022, and during his 11 seasons in the minor leagues, he has a batting average of .254 with 86 home runs and an OPS of .746 over 910 games.
In this season, he played in the Mexican league, recording a batting average of .373 in 29 games (126 at-bats, 47 hits), with 8 home runs, 29 RBIs, 3 stolen bases, and an OPS of 1.138.
Liberato said after signing the contract, "I heard that the Hanwha Eagles are leading the KBO League's marketability by competing at the top this season" and added, "I want to contribute to the team's championship challenge by maximizing my abilities."
Liberato is scheduled to arrive on the 19th.
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