Samsung Lions Ace Won Taein Out of WBC with Elbow Injury... LG Pitcher Yoo Youngchan Called Up

Right-handed ace pitcher Won Taein (25) of the Samsung Lions in professional baseball has been ruled out of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team due to a right elbow injury.

At Daegu Samsung Lions Park during Game 4 of the 2025 KBO League postseason Playoffs between the Hanwha Eagles and the Samsung Lions, Samsung starting pitcher Won Taein is pitching effectively in the top of the second inning. Yonhap

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) Power Enhancement Committee announced on the 15th, "As Samsung pitcher Won Taein is unable to participate in the WBC due to his injury, we have selected LG pitcher Yoo Youngchan as his replacement and requested approval for the player substitution from the WBC Organizing Committee."

Won Taein is reported to have felt pain in his elbow last month during the club's first spring training camp held in Guam, a U.S. territory. He underwent a medical examination in Korea late last month, which did not reveal any abnormal findings, and then moved on to Okinawa, Japan, where the second spring training camp is being held.

As the elbow pain did not subside, Won Taein returned to Korea and underwent another detailed examination on the 13th, where he was diagnosed with a Grade 1 flexor strain in his elbow and was advised to rest for about three weeks.

With Won Taein ruled out, the WBC national team has suffered a major blow to its pitching staff. On the 6th, Hanwha Eagles fireballer Moon Dongju, who was a starting rotation candidate, also failed to make the final national team roster due to shoulder pain.