Home > Sports > Baseball

Veteran catcher's woes at the plate not impacting performance behind it, says Bears manager

Published: 08 Apr. 2026, 18:26

Doosan Bears’ Yang Eui-ji hits a home run during a game against Hanwha Eagles [DOOSAN BEARS]

Doosan Bears catcher Yang Eui-ji is off to a dismal start at the plate in the new season, with only three hits — all singles — in his first 32 at-bats for his KBO club.

Though it is still early in the season, that .094 batting average looks out of place next to Yang's name, given that he won the 2025 batting title with a .337 mark and had a lifetime .310 average in 1,963 games prior to this season.

As Yang is trying to find his groove in the batter's box, there have been signs that his hitting woes may be affecting his usually stout defense behind the plate.

In Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Kiwoom Heroes at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, Yang was charged with a passed ball and let a third strike scoot past him for a Heroes run. The Bears pitchers ended up with four wild pitches.

Yang is set to serve as designated hitter (DH) in a return match against the Kiwoom Heroes on Wednesday, and Doosan Bears manager Kim Won-hyong insisted the 38-year-old backstop is not letting his slump at the plate get to him on the other side of the ball.

"I think his defense and batting are two separate things," Kim said in his media availability at Jamsil. "He just happened to have a lot of pitches in the dirt last night. Even someone as great as Yang Eui-ji can have a game like that."

As for the DH assignment, Kim said, "He's been playing behind the plate quite a bit since the start, and we wanted to manage his workload a little."

After missing the postseason in 2025, the Doosan Bears have had a sluggish start to the new campaign, with only two wins in their first nine contests. Their Opening Day starter, Chris Flexen, has been sidelined with a shoulder injury and will be reevaluated in four weeks.

The Doosan Bears signed former KT Wiz ace Wes Benjamin as a temporary replacement for Flexen. Benjamin, with three KBO seasons under his belt, is scheduled to arrive in Korea on Thursday.

Benjamin has not pitched in a competitive game this season, after being released by the San Diego Padres last fall.

Kim said Benjamin will play in a few games in the minors before joining the Doosan Bears, likely the week of April 19.

Yonhap