Rays 1B Choi Ji-man to undergo elbow operation in S. Korea

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Nov. 8 (Yonhap) -- Tampa Bay Rays South Korean first baseman Choi Ji-man is scheduled to undergo elbow operation at home this offseason, his agency announced Tuesday.

GSM said Choi will arrive in South Korea on Saturday and will soon have surgery to remove a bone fragment in his right elbow.

Choi was sidelined with elbow issues in May but finished out the season taking cortisone shots instead of opting for surgery.

In this Getty Images file photo from Oct. 8, 2022, Choi Ji-man of the Tampa Bay Rays strikes out against the Cleveland Guardians during the top of the second inning of Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series at Progressive Field in Cleveland. (Yonhap)

Choi batted .233 with 11 home runs and 52 RBIs in 113 games, while striking out a career-worst 123 times.

GSM said Choi would have traveled to South Korea in early October before being selected to the Major League Baseball (MLB) squad for "MLB World Tour: Korea Series," a set of four exhibition games scheduled for November here. Choi chose to stay put in the United States to prepare for those games.

However, MLB canceled those games earlier this month, forcing Choi to reschedule his trip home.

Choi will undergo post-surgery rehab in his home country and travel back to the U.S. in early January to prepare for the 2023 season.