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New Padres player Song Sung-mun suffers oblique injury: source

Published: 18 Jan. 2026, 13:49

Song Sung-mun poses in a San Diego Padres jersey in a photo shared by the MLB team on Dec. 23, 2025. [YONHAP]

San Diego Padres infielder Song Sung-mun has suffered an oblique injury that will sideline him for about four weeks, a source privy to the matter said Saturday.

According to the source, Song sustained the injury during a recent batting practice and he likely won't be able to resume baseball activities until about a month later.

He recently visited a clinic in Yokohama, Japan, for extensive treatment before traveling to Arizona for the start of the Padres' spring training in February.

Song inked a four-year deal worth $15 million with the Padres in December, on the heels of strong seasons for the Kiwoom Heroes in the KBO in 2024 and 2025.

The injury casts a shadow over Song's status for the March 5-17 World Baseball Classic (WBC). The national team opened its preliminary, 12-day camp in Saipan on Jan. 9, but Song, who was named to the camp roster before signing with the Padres, did not make the trip. The next national team camp starts Feb. 15 in Japan, but Song, along with other Korean players in MLB, is unlikely to be available for that because it overlaps with their clubs' spring training.

For the Padres, pitchers and catchers will have their first workout on Feb. 11, and the full squad workout, with position players also in action, will take place on Feb. 15.

Because the WBC typically takes place late in spring training, MLB teams have at times been reluctant to release their players for the tournament, citing injury concerns. In some instances, players joining new teams have skipped the WBC to focus on getting settled in or on trying to win a job out of spring training.

Yonhap