KBO home run leader undergoes surgery for broken nose, Asian Games status in jeopardy

Former Korean baseball MVP Kim Do-yeong has undergone surgery to repair a broken nose, his club announced Thursday, as his status for the upcoming Asian Games hangs in the balance. The Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said Kim had his operation late Wednesday night, hours after suffering the injury on an ill-fated bunt attempt during a game against the NC Dinos at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju.

After the ball ricocheted off his bat and struck his face, Kim started bleeding immediately, prompting a team trainer to run out of the dugout and cover the player s face with a towel. Kim was soon removed from the game for a pinch hitter. The Tigers said Kim will be released from the hospital Friday, and they will keep monitoring his recovery before setting a timetable for his return.

A team official said the injury is not considered serious, and Kim will remain on the active roster for now. Kim, 22, is in the midst of a bounceback season after appearing in just 30 games in 2025 due to multiple hamstring injuries. Kim has played in all 122 games so far.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.