‘Achilles→Rib→Injury’ in Free Agency… Choi’s time is running out, but he’ll be a free agent again

He’s groaning through a series of injuries in free agency. The bad luck continues for Choi, 32, and his time in San Diego could be coming to an end. Choi’s time is running out. Will he be able to fully exercise his free agency rights?

Choi, who is on a Triple-A rehab assignment after suffering a rib sprain, started the game against the Triple-A Round Rock Express at Southwest University Park in Alpharetta, Texas, on June 6 and went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.

However, in his final at-bat in the bottom of the eighth inning, Choi was hit on the instep of his right foot by a foul ball and left the game, replaced by Taylor Callaway. In the United States, Choi explained that he suffered a right instep injury. Manager Bob Melvin initially said that Choi had suffered a fractured ankle, but that was later corrected to an instep injury. MLB.com even raised the possibility of a season-ending injury, saying, “The injury has halted his rehabilitation and is likely to end his season and his time with the Padres. Despite Choi’s insistence that it’s not a fracture, it’s unclear if he’ll be able to return to the majors for the rest of the season.

Injuries have plagued Choi since he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates from the Tampa Bay Rays last year. Last year, he underwent offseason surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow. He had the surgery over the winter and was fine to return to the season, but in mid-April, he was sidelined with a left Achilles tendon injury. He missed about three months and didn’t return until early July. Upon his return, he put up a productive line of 2-for-6 with 11 doubles (in 41 at-bats), four home runs, nine RBIs, six runs scored, and a .929 OPS.

Then, at the trade deadline, he was picked up by the San Diego Padres, who hadn’t given up on the postseason, but were vulnerable at the designated hitter spot. With the trade, he went from being Bae’s teammate to Kim’s teammate. However, after going 0-for-11 with five strikeouts in seven games with San Diego, he was placed on the disabled list again with a sprained left rib. In a year that has been plagued by the specter of injuries, his comeback has been hampered once again by an ankle injury.

Choi’s presence in San Diego is dwindling. Right now, things are much different than when he joined the team. Right now, the Padres’ postseason chances are virtually zero. At 66-75, the Padres are in fourth place in the National League West. They’re 19.5 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers and seven games behind the third-place Miami Marlins in the wild-card race. Hope isn’t completely lost, but it’s hard to see.

There’s no reason to sit Choi at this point. We don’t know the extent of Choi’s injury right now. We don’t know how many more rehab games he’ll need, or if he’ll get a major league call-up for the rest of the season. This means that Choi’s season could be over.

At the end of the season, Choi will be eligible for free agency. Choi’s salary this year is $4.65 million (about 6.2 billion won). San Diego, which has already signed a number of long-term contracts and has the task of signing the likes of Ha-Sung Kim and Juan Soto, may not want to keep Choi, who is not cheap.토토사이트

There’s also no immediate return in free agency. For Choi, this year’s string of injuries has been even more frustrating… and then there’s the injury. He’s already lost time, and his time to prove himself is running out. He’s eligible for free agency and could sign a one-year deal, but he can’t command a big price tag right now.