Shin-Soo Choo has established himself as one of the best all-around outfielders in the league over the past three seasons, but his two-year obligation to the South Korean military has lingered in the background as a potential complication.
And now he’ll try to play his way out of the military.
Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reports that Choo is on South Korea’s official 24-man roster for the upcoming Asian Games and speculates that he “would likely receive an exemption from the South Korean military … if Cho’s team is able to capture the gold medal.”
Choo is 28 years old and according to Castrovince “all able-bodied South Korean men are required to serve two years in the military by the end of their 30th year,” so without that exemption the Indians could be facing life without their right fielder.
Choo has said previously that he has no intention of serving the two-year term while in the prime of his career and Castrovince writes that “a last-ditch option would be to simply not return to South Korea and begin the process of becoming an American citizen.”
Before that happens he’ll try to help South Korea win the Asian Games, which is an 11-team tournament held in China two months from now. Assistant general manager Chris Antonetti said the Indians would support Choo’s decision to play “provided there’s not an injury or a workload concern.”
Yanks pitcher Severino has lat strain, likely to start on IL
Dave Nelson/USA TODAY Sports
The New York Yankees could be opening the season without three-fifths of their projected starting rotation.
Right-hander Luis Severino has a low-grade lat strain, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Saturday, putting the two-time All-Star at risk of starting the season on the injured list.
“Obviously it’s going to put him in jeopardy to start the year,” Boone said.
Boone expressed optimism this wouldn’t be a long-term issue but acknowledged that Severino “most likely” would get placed on the injured list.
Severino, 29, went 7-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts last season. He struck out 112 in 102 innings.
Boone said the issue arose after Severino made his last start on Tuesday.
“Afterwards when he was kind of doing his workout, arm-care stuff, he just felt some tightness in there,” Boone said. “He came in the next day and it was a little tight, and then yesterday he was going to go out and throw and that tightness was still there enough to where he wanted to go get it looked at.”
The Yankees already won’t have right-hander Frankie Montas or left-hander Carlos Rodón for the start of the season.
Rodón, who joined the Yankees by signing a $162 million, six-year contract in the offseason, has a left forearm strain that will cause him to open the season on the injured list. Rodón has been an All-Star the last two seasons, in 2021 with the Chicago White Sox and in 2022 with the San Francisco Giants.
Montas is recovering from shoulder surgery and won’t begin throwing until at least late May.
The only projected starters from the Yankees’ rotation likely to be ready for the beginning of the season are five-time All-Star right-hander Gerrit Cole and 2022 All-Star left-hander Nestor Cortes.
DEGROM SHARP
Jacob deGrom struck out six over 3 2/3 shutout innings against the San Diego Padres in his final start before making his Texas Rangers regular-season debut.
The Rangers had announced Friday that deGrom would get the start Thursday when the Rangers open their season against Aaron Nola and the Philadelphia Phillies. The two-time Cy Young Award winner signed a five-year, $185 million contract with the Rangers in the offseason after spending nine seasons with the New York Mets.
GREINKE WORKS 5 1/3 INNINGS
Zack Greinke pitched 5 1/3 innings in his final test before he gets the ball against the Minnesota Twins in Kansas City on Thursday.
It will be Greinke’s seventh opening day start. At 39 years old, he will be the oldest opening-day starter in the history of the Royals franchise, breaking his own record set last year. He will be the the oldest opening day starter in the American League since a 40-year-old Curt Schilling started against the Royals in 2007.
Greinke allowed two runs on five hits against the Dodgers with no walks and two strikeouts.
“He was great today,” first-year manager Matt Quatraro said.“It certainly looked like the way they (Dodger batters) were taking those pitches, he was just dotting the plate on both sides. His two-seamer and changeup looked really good. It was encouraging.”
VOIT OPTS OUT
First baseman Luke Voit has opted out of his minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, giving the veteran slugger the opportunity to negotiate with other teams. He also could still return to the Brewers on a major league contract.
In other Brewers news, right-hander Adrian Houser left his start Saturday after 1 2/3 innings due to groin tightness.