KBO's Landers reinstate injured pitcher, cut ties with temporary replacement

The South Korean baseball club SSG Landers reinstated pitcher Roenis Elias from the injured list Tuesday, while terminating a deal with his temporary replacement in a corresponding move.

The Landers said Elias, who had been out since May 18 with an oblique injury, will start against the NC Dinos on Wednesday at Changwon NC Park in the southeastern city of Changwon. The Cuban left-hander last pitched on May 12, and was sidelined before his next scheduled start six days later.

With Elias out, the Landers had signed Japanese pitcher Keisho Shirakawa to a six-week contract on May 22. They were the first team to make use of the new rule in the Korea Baseball Organization that permits the signing of foreign players to short-term deals if incumbent players suffer injuries that require at least six weeks of recovery time.

Shirakawa, a 22-year-old right-hander hailing from Japanese independent ball, went 2-2 with a 5.09 ERA in five starts for the Landers. He struck out 27 batters and walked nine in 23 innings.

Although Shirakawa's stats don't jump off the page, he quickly endeared himself to the Landers and their fans with his work ethic and professionalism.

After the Landers' game against the Dinos was rained out Tuesday, the Landers presented Shirakawa with parting gifts in a ceremony.

Manager Lee Sung-yong presented the pitcher with his No. 43 jersey, framed and signed by his Landers teammates. Captain Choo Shin-soo handed him the official lineup card from June 1, when Shirakawa earned his first KBO victory.

Shirakawa also received a letter with handwritten messages from Landers players.

An official with the Landers said the club will place Shirakawa on waivers on Wednesday, at which point nine other clubs can sign him.

The waiver priority will be the inverse order of the standings as of Wednesday. The one team seeking a temporary pitching solution is the Doosan Bears, who remained in fourth place after their game on Tuesday was rained out.

For the Bears, American left-hander Brandon Waddell landed on the injured list on June 24 with a rotator cuff injury. The Bears had said at the time Waddell would be re-evaluated in three weeks.

Along with Shirakawa, the Bears are also looking at a former KBO pitcher Eric Jokisch, who pitched in a tryout session at the club's minor league facilities on Sunday.

Jokisch pitched for the Kiwoom Heroes from 2019 to 2023, going 56-36 with a 2.85 ERA, the lowest among all qualified starters over that five-year stretch. He was the KBO's ERA champion in 2020 with a 2.14 mark.

The left-hander was cut in June last year due to an injury. (Yonhap)