Ham had elbow surgery on Wednesday. “Ham had a pin fixing surgery on his left arm at Sejong Sports Orthopedic Surgery on Wednesday due to a microfracture of the main skull on his left elbow,” LG said on Tuesday. “He will return to his position from June to July with an estimate of six months of rehabilitation.”
Ham Deok-ju became a free agent after last season and signed a four-year contract with LG for a total of 3.8 billion won (600 million won in down payment, 1.4 billion won in annual salary, 1.8 billion won in incentives).
After signing the FA contract, he underwent a medical test and found an abnormality in his elbow. “I agonized over rehabilitation without having surgery, but to avoid recurrence of (injury), I need to undergo surgery. I decided to undergo surgery and proceeded with it,” an LG source said. 토토사이트 추천
During the recent three seasons when he played for LG, Ham has had injury issues every year. During the FA contract process, he signed a contract to add nearly 50 percent of his options due to fear of injury. Due to injury and surgery from the first year of his contract, he has been banned from playing full time.
In the 2021 season, he left early May due to a bone fragment in his elbow, and returned in September due to rehabilitation, but his elbow injury recurred at the end of the season. He finished 16 games with one win, two losses and a hold with a 4.29 ERA, and after the season, he underwent surgery to remove bone fragments in his elbow. In the 2022 season, he went down to the second division in early May and was caught in the injury while preparing to switch to the starting pitcher. He played 13 games until May and recorded a 2.13 ERA without a win or a loss, and did not return to the first division until the end of the season.
In the 2022 season, he was a healthy player from the opening game last year, but he was injured due to accumulation of elbow fatigue in late August. He rehabilitated until the end of the regular season in mid-October and returned to the Korean Series in November. He became a must-win group again in the Korean Series.
Ham joined the Doosan Bears through the 2013 draft and wore LG’s uniform through a trade ahead of the 2021 season. At the time, LG made a 2-to-2 trade by sending infielder Yang Seok-hwan and pitcher Namho to Doosan and bringing in Ham Deok-ju and Chae Ji-sun.
In the 2023 season, Ham played in 57 games and was a strong left-handed bullpen pitcher for the team, recording an ERA of 1.62 in 55 ⅔ with 4-4 saves and 16 holds. He also contributed to the team’s overall win with a record of one win and 2.70 ERA in three ⅓ in four Korean Series appearances.
After finishing the contract, Ham said, “I feel lighthearted because I was able to finish the contract before the end of the year. The team had the best performance this season, and I am happy that I was able to help the team a little bit by throwing without injury. I felt happy that I was able to throw healthy once again. I will do my best to help the team continue to be a strong team without getting sick.”
The club said, “Ham is a pitcher with many experiences including his national team career. In the 23rd season, he showed his best performance while regaining his health, and he played his part in the team’s winning team. I look forward to seeing him throw for the team on the mound in good health.”