Samsung Lions closer Kim Jae-yun will be unavailable for the team's postseason run after medical imaging confirmed damage to his right serratus anterior muscle and fascia, 대구MBC reported on Saturday. The club announced the diagnosis ahead of Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO playoff series, with Kim expected to need roughly two weeks of rest.
The news lands the day before Samsung opens its playoff series and removes the league's top save pitcher from the back end of the bullpen. Kim, 35 saves this regular season, led the KBO in that category and recorded career highs in both saves and his first saves title.
Why it matters
A closer who has been the most reliable late-inning arm in the league is not easily replaced, and Samsung now faces a best-of-series playoff without him. According to 대구MBC, the loss is being described as a major blow to a team that had built its late-game plan around Kim.
The timing compounds the problem. Samsung had been using its final training sessions to sharpen game sharpness, but rain in Daegu on Saturday forced the team indoors for its last workout, 대구MBC reported — a detail the broadcaster framed as an added frustration. The club's preparation window closed without outdoor work on the eve of the series.
Multiple Korean outlets reported the same diagnosis. OSEN described Kim's exit as a shock ahead of the playoff and said a two-week break was unavoidable, while 뉴스핌 noted that Kim joins 백정현 and 좌승현 among Samsung's injury absences. 뉴시스 also reported the serratus anterior diagnosis and the resulting gap at the back of the bullpen.
Bullpen reshuffle and added pressure on the rotation
With Kim out, Samsung must find a way to cover the ninth inning and the high-leverage outs that precede it. 머니투데이 reported that the team plans to use its top relief arms situationally rather than anointing a single replacement closer, quoting the club's stated approach of deploying its "필승조" — its trusted late-inning group — depending on how games unfold. That is a workable but less settled arrangement than handing the ball to a pitcher who converted 35 saves.
The ripple effects reach the rotation as well. Chris Pedeck, announced as Samsung's Game 1 starter, now carries a heavier expectation to work deep into the game and spare a bullpen that has lost its anchor, according to 대구MBC. The broadcaster also noted that Samsung's hitters will need to get to KIA starter James Naile early, giving the team run support before the late innings become a question mark.
For KIA, the situation offers an opening. A playoff series often turns on which side can protect a narrow lead in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, and Samsung's ability to do that is now the central uncertainty of the matchup.
What to watch
Game 1 is set for Sunday, and 대구MBC said it will carry radio broadcasts of all of Samsung's postseason games starting that day. The first test will be how manager 박진만 sequences his relief corps without Kim — and whether Pedeck can give the bullpen enough length to keep the plan intact.
