New Padres player Song Sung-mun suffers oblique injury: source

South Korean baseball player Song Sung-mun poses in his new San Diego Padres jersey after signing a four-year deal with the club, in this file photo provided by the Kiwoom Heroes, his former team, Dec. 23, 2025. Yonhap

San Diego Padres infielder Song Sung-mun has suffered an injury that will sideline him for about four weeks, a source privy to the matter said Saturday.

According to the source, Song sustained the injury during a recent batting practice and he likely won't be able to resume baseball activities until for at least one month.

He recently visited a clinic in Yokohama, Japan, to receive extensive treatment there before traveling to Arizona for the start of the Padres' spring training in February.

Song inked a four-year deal worth $15 million with the Padres in December, on the heels of strong seasons for the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization in 2024 and 2025.

The injury casts a shadow over Song's status for the March 5-17 World Baseball Classic (WBC). The national team opened its preliminary, 12-day camp in Saipan, Jan. 9, but Song, who was named to the camp roster before signing with the Padres, did not make the trip. The next national team camp starts Feb. 15 in Japan, but Song, along with other South Korean players in Major League Baseball (MLB), is unlikely to be available for that because it overlaps with their clubs' spring training.

For the Padres, pitchers and catchers will have their first workout Feb. 11, and the full squad workout, with position players also in action, will take place Feb. 15.

Because the WBC typically takes place during the late portion of spring training, MLB teams have at times been reluctant to release their players for the tournament, citing injury concerns. In some instances, players joining new teams have skipped the WBC so that they could focus on getting settled in or trying to win a job out of spring training.