Matt Davidson, the foreign hitter joining the Kiwoom Heroes, is set to make his debut in the 2026 KBO League home game against the Doosan Bears, scheduled for July 4 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.
Kiwoom manager Seol Jong-jin said today (June 30) ahead of the home game against the LG Twins at Gocheok Sky Dome, "Davidson will join the team on July 4, when the waiver period ends, and is expected to play in the game immediately." He added, "I understand he is currently training individually in Korea and preparing to play right away."
He further noted, "We plan to utilize Davidson as a designated hitter or first baseman," adding, "As he is a player brought in to bolster our lineup, we have no plans to assign him to third base, which carries a heavy defensive burden."
Seol also added, "We plan to primarily assign Keston Hiura to outfield defense."
On June 29, Kiwoom announced the release of foreign pitcher Nathan Wiles, who had been underperforming, and the signing of Davidson, who was released by the NC Dinos on June 27.
Davidson joined NC in 2024 and became the home run king that year with 46 home runs. Last year, he played a key role as a core hitter for NC, recording a batting average of 0.293 with 36 home runs and 97 RBIs.
This season, he has posted slightly underwhelming numbers, batting 0.290 with 8 home runs and 40 RBIs in 63 games.
Manager Seol Jong-jin stated, "Although his home run count has decreased this year, we judged that his hitting form itself is not bad," adding, "We expect him to be a great asset to the team in terms of power hitting."
The last-place Kiwoom team has struggled with a weak lineup this season, ranking at the bottom in team batting average (0.231), team home runs (45), team slugging percentage (0.328), and team on-base percentage (0.311).
In response, the team is seeking a turnaround by operating with two foreign hitters.
Regarding the future starting rotation, manager Seol Jong-jin revealed his plan, saying, "For now, we plan to operate with a five-man rotation for about a month, consisting of Raul Alcantara, Ha Young-min, An Woo-jin, Bae Dong-hyun, and Park Jun-hyun," and added, "Kim Yun-ha and Jung Hyun-woo may join the starting rotation in the second half of the season."
(Photo: Yonhap News)