Kim Ha-sung chose shoulder surgery. "FA? I thought of my body first now."
Kim Ha-sung chose shoulder surgery. "FA? I thought of my body first now."
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He suffered the worst injury in the worst situation. San Diego Padres infielder Kim Ha-sung, who made a difficult decision here, shared his thoughts.
Kim Ha-sung announced that he plans to undergo shoulder surgery himself ahead of the away game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on the 29th (Korea Standard Time).안전놀이터
Kim Ha-sung injured his right shoulder while hitting the base while returning from first base in an away game against the Colorado Rockies on August 19. At first, it seemed like an injury that could come back quickly, but there was no progress in rehabilitation and he ended up undergoing surgery.
He said, "When I had my first checkup, I didn't say, 'I don't need surgery.' There was just a saying, 'If you rehabilitate, you can come back,' and I tried to come back after rehabilitation somehow, but I didn't have enough time. In the end, I think I had more choices about the future than the reality," he said, explaining the situation.
There are two main ways for athletes to cope with injuries: rehabilitation and surgery.
I try to overcome it through rehabilitation. Kim Ha-sung was like that at first.
"Now is the sixth week of rehabilitation," he continued, explaining why he changed his mind, saying, "I can't go to the postseason, and I don't think I can. Then I have to go to the next step, but the sooner I (the surgery) is done, the faster I will return to the next year, so I thought it would be the right decision to do the surgery as soon as I see the future."
Still, choosing to have surgery on your shoulder would not have been an easy decision.
"I tend to be a tough player. I heard that you have a better chance of getting surgery. It's not a good thing to put a knife on your body, but I think it's right to get surgery when I see the future because I have to play baseball for another 10 years and I'm not that old," he said.
"I thought a lot about it," he continued, adding, "I thought about it because it wasn't that much torn, but I made a choice for the future," and eventually decided to operate.
The expiration of his four-year contract with San Diego after this season and becoming an FA also likely made it more difficult for him to choose whether to operate or not.
"Honestly, there is an impact on the FA," he said, but added, "From the standpoint of being injured now, I thought my body came first."
"I'm not going to quit baseball today, is I?" he continued. "I decided to undergo surgery based on my long-term plan. Also, I'm not a pitcher but a fielder. Fielders are faster to return. These days, technology and systems for surgery have improved. I will get surgery from a doctor who is the best at surgery and training from people who are the best at rehabilitation. Therefore, I don't think there is any problem with returning to baseball. As long as I am healthy, I think other teams or our team will know my values and things like this," the FA said, adding that they are not worried.
I'm sure you've heard a lot from a lot of people so far. Was there anyone who had the biggest influence in deciding on the operation?
"Myself," he said emphatically when asked about it. "It's my future, and judgment is mine. I appreciate all the advice from people around me, but there hasn't been one that really changed my mind or anything like that," he said, stressing that it was all his decision after all.