American Pitcher Wes Benjamin Returns to KBO with Doosan Bears as Short-Term Replacement

By Yoo Jee-ho SEOUL, April 29 (Yonhap) -- At first, pitcher Wes Benjamin wasn't aware of a new pathway for foreign players to land in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Since last year, KBO teams have been allowed to sign short-term replacements for injured foreign players who are expected to miss at least six weeks. Several teams have made use of that rule to fill their roster holes. Someone like Benjamin, who already has a track record of recent success in the KBO, can be especially valuable. And the Doosan Bears acquired him earlier this month when their Opening Day starter, Chris Flexen, suffered a shoulder injury. Benjamin, who went 31-18 with a 3.74 ERA in 74 starts for the KT Wiz from 2022 to 2024, is thankful for another go-around in South Korea, despite the inherent uncertainty of his contract. "I didn't know this was going to be an option for me until my agent called and said I had the ability to come here. I was just glad to be able to work my way back into the KBO however I could," Benjamin told Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. "I don't know what my future holds, but all I know is if this is a time and place for me to showcase what I can do, then I'm going to make the most of it as best I can." Benjamin, 32, has rewarded the Bears with two solid starts. He threw 4 2/3 shutout innings against the Lotte Giants to mark his KBO return on April 21 and then held the LG Twins to three runs over seven innings on Sunday. The American left-hander didn't get a decision for himself in either outing but the Bears won both games, which suits Benjamin just fine. The pitcher said his single-minded focus on the team goal helps him stay present and not worry too much about what will happen after his deal expires May 19. "My whole game plan is to just go out and be able to hand the ball to the bullpen in a position to win the game," Benjamin said. "If you simplify everything down to just having that be your goal, everything else goes away and that's all my focus is on right now: just giving our team a chance to win regardless of wherever I am." After his first KBO stint, Benjamin, who pitched for the Texas Rangers in 2020 and 2021 wasn't able to make it back to Major League Baseball (MLB). He signed with the San Diego Padres before the 2025 season but instead spent the year with their Triple-A club, the El Paso Chihuahuas. Benjamin went 4-8 with a 6.42 ERA in 28 appearances there, including 22 starts. The up-and-down season saw Benjamin post an 8.64 ERA in May but a 2.95 mark in June. As his numbers fluctuated, Benjamin said he still tried to get something out of the roller coaster ride. "Early on, I struggled. I knew my numbers weren't going to be how I wanted to. I decided to take action in using the year as a way to better myself as best as I could," he said. "The plan wasn't to be a dominant-type pitcher at that point. It was to continue to learn my craft." To that end, Benjamin developed a sinker and changed his slider grip to a sweeper grip for more horizontal movement on the pitch. He was happy with the progress he made as the season progressed, as he started inducing more groundballs. "I've added some new tools to my arsenal. It helped me a lot last year," he said. "I'm planning on trying to take that into this season here for as long as I can until Chris gets better and hopefully hand the ball back off to him and keeps Doosan in a good spot." Benjamin remained unsigned at the start of the year after the Padres released him in November 2025. Despite his agent's assurance that there would be a market for him, Benjamin couldn't find a new deal with another MLB organization. Teams were more interested in younger pitchers, Benjamin said, but that didn't stop him from putting in the work to stay prepared for his next professional contract. He pitched in indoor facilities in Chicago and later faced other professional hitters in West Palm Beach, Florida. "I essentially had a spring training on my own in that sense, which was fun," Benjamin said with a smile. "I didn't want to have to go play independent baseball or play in Mexico this year. Just with my arsenal, I wanted to continue to challenge to play in MLB or come back here eventually. Once my agent called and said Doosan was interested, I wanted to jump at the opportunity. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to be here." During his pregame media scrum Tuesday, Bears manager Kim Won-hyong said he appreciated what Benjamin had given the team and said he may need the left-hander to stick around beyond his six weeks because Flexen likely won't be ready to return in May. Teams can extend their contracts with short-term replacements if the injured foreign players remain sidelined for longer than six weeks. "If Benjamin can keep pitching this way, it's going to be a huge help for the team. I can't thank him enough," Kim said. For his part, Benjamin said being back in the U.S. minor leagues last year -- he hadn't been there since 2022 -- "solidified my feeling of wanting to be back here." "I missed the culture of the fans, how every game is ... the atmosphere is high intensity," he said. "Playing in minor league games, sometimes in America, there's not that many fans. Everyone's just kind of grinding through it a little bit at a time. And in order to continue to better myself, I wanted to have that high intensity feeling again. I missed that so much. Just being in the game and atmosphere here has been incredible." There's one other thing that Benjamin enjoyed here that he didn't in the United States. "I missed the coffee here, too," Benjamin said with a smile.