As the 2026 MLB season begins this week, San Francisco Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo will be the only Korean on an Opening Day roster. He captained South Korea to the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals earlier this month and posted strong spring training numbers. Other Korean players will miss the start due to injuries or minor league assignments.
The 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) season begins this week with San Francisco Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo as the lone Korean on an Opening Day roster. Lee captained South Korea to the quarterfinals at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) earlier this month and excelled in spring training, batting .455 (10-for-22) with a 1.227 OPS and no strikeouts in 22 at-bats. Entering his third season with the Giants, he shifts from center field to right field, with Harrison Bader taking center. In 2025, Lee led the Giants with a .266 average, 31 doubles, and 12 triples, ranking third among regulars with a .734 OPS. The Giants open against the New York Yankees at Oracle Park on Wednesday at 5:05 p.m. local time. No other Korean players will feature. Atlanta Braves shortstop Kim Ha-seong suffered a torn tendon in his right middle finger after slipping on ice in South Korea in January, facing about five months out. Braves president Alex Anthopoulos hopes for an early May return, while Kim said last week he is “trying to stay in a positive mindset every day.” This marks Kim's sixth MLB season and second with the Braves; the 2023 Gold Glove winner played just 48 games last year (24 with Braves, 24 with Rays) due to injuries. San Diego Padres infielder Song Sung-mun, signed in December, starts on the injured list with a recurring right oblique injury from January that sidelined him from the WBC; he could return by mid-April after Triple-A time. He hit .235 (4-for-17) with a home run in eight spring games. The Padres tested his defense at shortstop and outfield. Three others begin in the minors: Los Angeles Dodgers' Kim Hye-seong was optioned to Triple-A despite a .407/.448/.519 spring line, due to poor plate discipline (eight strikeouts, one walk in 27 at-bats); Detroit Tigers reliever Go Woo-suk joins Triple-A Toledo; and New York Mets utility Bae Ji-hwan was reassigned after spring.
