Lee Jung-hoo Shines in MLB First Half; Kim Ha-seong Struggles Following Surgery

The first half of the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season concluded today (July 13).

The MLB, which opened on March 26, will take a four-day All-Star break before resuming the second half of the season on July 18.

The All-Star Game will be held at 9:00 a.m. on July 15 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Looking at the performance of Korean big leaguers in the first half, only Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants) stood out.

In his third year as a full-time big leaguer, Lee was the only Korean player to play from the regular season opener, finishing the first half ranked 5th in the National League in batting average (0.302) and 11th in the league in total hits (100).

He recorded five games with four or more hits, including his first five-hit game since entering the big leagues against the Colorado Rockies on June 1.

He also recorded 29 multi-hit games.

Although he was sidelined for 11 days in late May due to back pain, he established himself as a key hitter for San Francisco, driven by his signature ability to string hits together and his precise batting.

However, after hitting 0.340 in June, his batting average dropped to 0.200 in July, and he is now set to use the break to regroup.

With San Francisco sitting at 4th place in the National League West with a record of 41 wins and 55 losses, making a postseason run difficult this year, Lee is frequently mentioned as a trade candidate for teams competing for a playoff spot.


Kim Ha-seong (Atlanta Braves) is going through the worst season of his career.

Kim’s season got off to a rocky start after he slipped on an icy road in January, resulting in a ruptured tendon in his right middle finger. After rehabilitation and minor league games, he made his big league return against the Chicago Cubs on May 13.

However, the impact of missing proper winter training left him with a dismal batting average of 0.068 (5 hits in 73 at-bats).

While his defensive skills remained intact, his batting performance fell short of expectations, and he has been completely pushed out of the competition for the starting shortstop position within the team.

The Atlanta organization placed Kim on the 10-day injured list on July 5 due to inflammation in his right middle finger.

Unless his batting touch makes a dramatic recovery, the second half of the season looks bleak for Kim.

His third dream—securing a large, long-term contract as a free agent (FA) after the season—is also at risk of falling through.

Song Sung-mun, who moved to the U.S. after signing a four-year, $15 million contract with San Diego, was promoted to the big leagues on April 26 while rehabbing from an oblique injury. He made his debut as a pinch runner the following day during the Mexico Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

After building up his rhythm in the minor leagues, he returned to the big leagues on May 6 and has collected a batting average of 0.212 with 1 home run and 13 RBIs in 42 games.

Notably, his 11 stolen bases stand out.

In a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 12, Song received praise for his all-around ability in offense, defense, and baserunning, including a two-RBI timely hit, a diving catch, and a stolen base.

San Diego manager Craig Stammen praised Song, saying it is hard to put into words the value of a player who can play every position in the infield.

He emphasized his intention to continue using Song heavily in the second half, noting that he is a useful substitute who helps keep the starting players fresh.

Kim Hye-seong, who is with the league-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, has been unlucky.

Despite a .400 batting average in spring training, Kim failed to make the opening day roster. He was promoted on April 6 and stayed in the big leagues for nearly two months until he was sent back down to the minor leagues on May 30.

His stats were not bad, with a batting average of 0.259, 1 home run, 11 RBIs, and 5 stolen bases, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sent him back to Triple-A, suggesting that Kim’s swing had changed and hoping he would improve his passive play in the minors.

The Dodgers finished the first half with the highest winning percentage (0.629) among the 30 big league teams with 61 wins and 36 losses, so unless injuries arise, it is highly likely that Kim will not return to the big leagues until September, when rosters expand.

Kim is currently batting 0.276 with 16 RBIs and no home runs in the minor leagues.

Ko Woo-suk (Minnesota Twins) finally stepped onto a big league mound two years and seven months after moving to the U.S.

He is the 30th Korean big leaguer in history.

Ko, who had been working hard to hone his skills in the Detroit Tigers' minor league system, became a new member of Minnesota, which had a struggling bullpen, through a cash trade.

After making his debut on July 10 against the Cleveland Guardians, pitching one inning and allowing one run, he recorded his first career hold two days later by pitching one scoreless inning against the Los Angeles Angels.

Leveraging his experience of 139 saves in Korea and 10 saves in the minor leagues, Ko is now challenging for a spot in Minnesota's high-leverage relief corps.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.