Pirates’ Bae Ji-hwan to begin new season on injured list


SEOUL, Bae Ji-hwan, the South Korean utility player for the Pittsburgh Pirates, will begin the 2024 regular season on the injured list (IL).

The Pirates finalized their Opening Day roster Monday (U.S. local time), three days before the start of the new Major League Baseball (MLB) season. Bae was not among the 26 players on the list, and the Pirates said Bae will be on the (IL) while dealing with a left hip flexor injury.

The 24-year-old has not played in spring training since March 5. In 11 exhibition games, he batted .273 with an RBI, two steals and a .773 on-base plus slugging percentage.

The versatile player has appeared at center field and second base. In the 2023 regular season, Bae logged time at second base, shortstop and center field.

Bae made his big league debut with the Pirates in 2022 and played in a career-high 111 games in 2023, while batting .231/.296/.311 with a team-leading 24 steals.

Source: Yonhap News Agency