SSG Landers sign temporary replacement for injured outfielder

This photo provided by the SSG Landers on Sunday, shows the Korea Baseball Organization club's new foreign hitter, Ryan McBroom.

The SSG Landers announced Sunday they have signed former major leaguer Ryan McBroom as a short-term replacement for their injured outfielder Guillermo Heredia.

McBroom, who can play first base and right field, signed for US$75,000, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club said.

In 2024, the KBO began allowing clubs to sign foreign players as temporary replacements for incumbents who suffer injuries that keep them sidelined for at least six weeks.

Heredia, the reigning KBO batting champion, recently underwent a procedure on folliculitis in his right thigh but a further complication will require about six weeks of rehab, the Landers said.

McBroom has logged 66 major league big games, all of them with the Kansas City Royals from 2019 to 2021. He had six home runs, 16 RBIs and a .268 batting average during that span.

The American player spent most of the 2021 season in Triple-A, where he smacked 32 home runs to lead his league.

He played for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Nippon Professional Baseball in 2022 and 2023, putting up 23 homers and an on-base plus slugging of .749.

The Landers said McBroom, who bats right and throws left, is a slugger with decent contact abilities, and that he has stayed sharp by playing in an independent league this year.

McBroom, 33, is scheduled to arrive in Korea on Monday.