Veteran hitter released by KBO club

SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Yonhap) -- Son Ah-seop, third on the career hits list in South Korean baseball, was released by his club Monday.

The Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Son was among 11 players that they had chosen not to bring back next season.

The 38-year-old outfielder has now reached the crossroads after spending 20 seasons in the KBO, during which he has collected 2,655 hits.

Son currently sits behind Choi Hyoung-woo of the Samsung Lions, who has 2,734 hits, and Kim Hyun-soo of the KT Wiz, who owns 2,691 hits, on the all-time list.

Former LG Twins player Park Yong-taik previously owned the hits record with 2,504, and Son became the first player to surpass that mark in June 2024.

Son remained the career leader in hits entering this season, but Choi passed him in May and Kim did the same in August.

While Choi and Kim have remained productive in their early 40s and late 30s, respectively, Son has been on the downslope for the past couple of years after winning his first batting title in 2023.

Son played for the Lotte Giants from 2007 to 2021, and then joined the NC Dinos as a free agent before the 2022 season. The Dinos traded him to the Hanwha Eagles in July 2025, and the Eagles, after retaining Son on a one-year deal in free agency, shipped him to the Bears in April this year.

Son ended up playing just 54 games this year and batted .236, his worst numbers since 2009.

Son has long been regarded as a poor defender in the outfield and now with his bat-to-ball skills declining, many believe he may have difficulty landing a new contract at this stage in his career.