KIA's Kim Do-young undergoes surgery for broken nose after being hit by batted ball

KIA Tigers star hitter Kim Do-young underwent surgery after being struck in the face by a batted ball during a game, breaking his nose.

The KIA club said Thursday that Kim underwent nasal bone fracture reduction surgery at a hospital designated by the club on Wednesday night. He is expected to be discharged Friday after a brief hospital stay, according to Yonhap.

Nasal bone fracture reduction surgery is a procedure that repositions a broken nose bone.

Recovery time can vary depending on the patient's condition and the severity of the injury.

"We will decide on Kim's return timeline after monitoring his recovery," a club official said.

The official added, "For now, we do not plan to remove him from the first-team roster. We will decide when he can resume technical training after he is discharged and we see how his recovery is going."

Kim was hit in the face by a batted ball on Wednesday while attempting a bunt during a 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League game against the NC Dinos at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field.

With no outs and a runner on first in the bottom of the fourth inning, Kim attempted a surprise bunt on the first pitch from NC pitcher Song Myung-gi. The pitch was a 148-kilometer-per-hour fastball. The ball glanced off his bat and struck him directly in the face. Unable to continue at the plate, Kim kicked in frustration before being replaced by pinch hitter Park Min.

Kim was then taken to the club's designated hospital, where he underwent X-ray and computed tomography scans.

Kim has batted .306 with 40 home runs, 99 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 122 games this season, an MVP-caliber performance for the regular season.

Kim was also selected for the national baseball team competing in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games under manager Ryu Ji-hyun. He is set to join the team Monday before departing for Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 17.

Kim has reportedly expressed his determination to compete in the Asian Games despite the injury.

The Korea Baseball Organization's National Team Committee plans to decide whether to replace Kim on the Asian Games roster based on the medical diagnosis of his broken nose.

"At this point, a replacement on the Asian Games roster is only possible if an existing player is injured," Cho Kye-hyun, head of the National Team Committee, said in a phone call with Yonhap on Thursday. "A replacement is decided by the committee based on the medical diagnosis and assessment, not the player's own wishes. Checking the doctors' assessment is the first step for Kim."

The national baseball team will play Taiwan in Group B preliminaries on Sept. 21, Hong Kong on Sept. 22 and Thailand on Sept. 23. The team will then advance to the Super Round from Sept. 25 to Sept. 26 before playing for medals on Sept. 27.

Depending on the severity of Kim's injury, the South Korean team's overall strength could also be affected.

The national team's current infield consists of seven players: Kim, Moon Bo-gyeong (LG Twins), Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha Eagles) and Jeong Jun-jae (SSG Landers). The group also includes Lee Jae-hyun (Samsung Lions), Kim Ju-won (NC Dinos) and Park Joon-soon (Doosan Bears). Of these, only Kim, Moon and Noh can play third base. However, Moon has recently been unable to play a normal schedule of KBO League games due to back pain.

That leaves Noh as essentially the only other option at third base, but doing so would leave the team without a natural first baseman.

The national team had reportedly planned to use Kim at third base, while deploying Moon and Noh at first base, third base or designated hitter.