Oh Seung-hwan to undergo elbow surgery on Aug. 23

SEOUL, Aug. 13 (Yonhap) -- Former major league reliever Oh Seung-hwan will undergo elbow surgery next week, a relatively minor procedure before he can rejoin his former South Korean club.

Sunsoochon Hospital in Seoul examined Oh's right, pitching elbow and said the surgery to remove a bone chip and inflamed tissue will take place on Aug. 23. The hospital said his rehab will last five months. Oh has said he expects to be back in even better form post-surgery than before.

Oh, 37, signed with the Samsung Lions in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) last week, after getting released by the Colorado Rockies in late July. He'd already been ruled out for the rest of 2019 because of his elbow problems.

Oh is the KBO's all-time leader in saves with 277. He also owns the single-season record for saves with 47, set in 2006 and matched in 2011, a year after he underwent the same type of procedure as the one scheduled for next week.

Oh pitched for the Lions from 2005 to 2013. He spent the next two years with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan, before pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and Rockies beginning in 2016.

Oh is serving a 72-game suspension handed down by the KBO following an illegal gambling conviction. Even if he were healthy, Oh would have been ineligible for 42 games this year and 30 more next year. He's expected to return either late April or early May next season.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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