The Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) will introduce a substitute foreign player system starting next season. “If an existing foreign player is injured in a way that requires medical treatment for more than six weeks, the KBO has decided to introduce a new system that will place the player on the rehabilitation list and allow a substitute foreign player to play until the player returns,” the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) said today. The substitute will not count against the substitution count, and the injured foreign player will be eligible to return to the league after a minimum of six weeks.
Upon the return of the injured foreign player, the substitute must be replaced by another foreign player (less one registration) or terminated via waiver. The cost of hiring a replacement foreign player is limited to a maximum of $100,000 per month, the same as the original player. The KBO discussed the substitute foreign player system after it was noted that foreign players are often sidelined due to long-term injuries and that teams have difficulty finding enough players, leading to an imbalance in the roster.
In June, the KBO put a proposal to improve the foreign player system on the agenda of the KBO Board of Directors (CEO meeting), and the board recently decided to introduce the substitute foreign player system starting next season. Professional baseball is expected to undergo a major change next season with the introduction of a number of other changes. The KBO announced last month that it would introduce an automatic ball-strike system (ABS) 스포츠토토존 and a pitch clock system starting next year.