Gwangju: The defending South Korean baseball champions Kia Tigers have lost yet another player to an injury, with infielder Yoon Do-hyun ruled out for four weeks with a broken finger. The Tigers announced Thursday that Yoon had suffered a broken index finger on his right hand while trying to field a ground ball during Wednesday's Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular-season game against the Samsung Lions.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Yoon had been filling in for injured veteran Kim Sun-bin, who has been out since late May with a left calf injury. In 19 games, Yoon was batting .279 with career highs of four home runs, three doubles, and nine RBIs.
The Tigers, the 2024 Korean Series champions, are already without the reigning league MVP Kim Do-yeong, who went down in late May with his second hamstring injury of the season. Shortstop Park Chan-ho and first baseman Patrick Wisdom have missed some time earlier in the year with injuries. Outfielder and team captain Na Sung-bum hasn't played since April 26 due to a right calf injury.
On the pitching side, reliever Kwak Do-gyu underwent season-ending elbow surgery in April, and starter Hwang Dong-ha sustained a broken back in May after being hit by a vehicle running a red light. Before Thursday's action, the Tigers ranked seventh at 32-31-1 (wins-losses-ties).