KT Wiz lose slugger Henry Ramos to broken toe

The defending South Korean baseball champions KT Wiz have lost their second slugger to a toe injury this season, with the first-year import Henry Ramos getting his right pinky toe broken by a pitch over the weekend.

The Wiz said Sunday evening the injury will take four to six weeks just to heal, and Ramos will likely need more time to get back into game shape.

In Saturday's game against the NC Dinos, Ramos took a pitch by starter Song Myung-gi to his right foot in the bottom of the first inning. Ramos went down on all fours in obvious pain but walked to first base under his own power and stayed in the game.

However, the pain had worsened overnight, and Ramos, according to the Wiz, could barely put the injured foot into his shoe. Further tests on Sunday morning revealed the fractured right pinky toe.

Ramos was the Wiz's best hitter in the preseason, putting up a .387/.429/.903 line in 12 games with four home runs and nine RBIs.

The switch hitter from Puerto Rico had been quieter in the regular season before the injury, posting a .250/.304/.417 line with three home runs and 11 RBIs in 18 games. He did have an eight-game hitting streak that ended last Wednesday.

Just before the start of the regular season, the Wiz had first baseman Kang Baek-ho hit the sidelines with the same broken right pinky toe. The team said Kang, third in the league MVP voting last year, had sustained that injury after falling down the stairs. Kang was initially ruled out for about a month but the Wiz later said he would miss up to four months.

The Wiz are 8-11 this season and had their five-game winning streak snapped with a 2-1 loss to the Dinos on Sunday.

The Wiz are in the middle of the pack in several offensive categories but are in last place with a .201 batting average with runners in scoring position. (Yonhap)