The long wait for the Kiwoom Heroes is finally coming to an end. Short-term substitute foreign pitcher Kenny Rosenberg is set to join the team this week, after a frustrating visa delay that cost the club nearly 50 million won.
The Kiwoom organization announced on May 12 that Rosenberg’s employment visa was issued in the United States on May 11 local time, and he is scheduled to arrive in South Korea on May 14.
Rosenberg, born in 1995, is a left-handed pitcher standing 185 cm and weighing 88 kg. He made his Major League Baseball debut with the Los Angeles Angels in 2022, posting a 4.22 ERA over 10⅔ innings across three games with no decisions. In 2023, he pitched 33 innings over seven games, going 2-2 with a 3.82 ERA. However, his performance dipped in 2024, as he recorded a 6.00 ERA over 24 innings in seven games without a win. Most of his time was spent in the minors. Ahead of the 2025 season, he accepted Kiwoom’s offer to challenge the KBO League.
Rosenberg adapted smoothly to the KBO. After the start of the 2025 season, he appeared in 13 games, tossing 75⅓ innings with a 4-4 record and a 3.23 ERA, serving as the team’s ace. However, before the first half concluded, he underwent surgery due to an injury and was released.
Kiwoom closely monitored Rosenberg’s rehabilitation process. When second starter Nathan Wiles was sidelined with a shoulder injury on April 19, the team urgently needed a short-term replacement and moved quickly to sign Rosenberg.
Rosenberg accepted Kiwoom’s offer without hesitation. A six-week short-term contract worth a total of $50,000 (approximately 73 million won) was signed on April 21. The deal gave Rosenberg an opportunity to stay with Kiwoom or move to another KBO club based on his performance, while Kiwoom aimed to minimize the impact of Wiles’ absence.
However, Rosenberg spent half of his six-week contract in the United States rather than South Korea, as the visa issuance process took much longer than expected. The Korean Immigration Office only issued the visa certificate on April 29, and the Korean consulate in Los Angeles was slow to process the final approval.
Typically, players coming to the KBO mid-season have their employment visas processed through the Korean consulate in Japan, given its proximity. But the timing of Rosenberg’s contract overlapped with Japan’s holiday period, forcing the administrative procedures to be completed in the United States. Kiwoom manager Seol Jong-jin recently noted that Rosenberg grew frustrated with the delay and personally visited the Korean consulate near his home—an hour away—to request faster processing.
After overcoming these hurdles, Rosenberg will finally wear the Kiwoom uniform again. Upon arriving on May 14, he will undergo time-zone adjustment and condition checks before his return start schedule is set. Given that it is unrealistic for him to pitch immediately after joining, the most likely window is during the three-game series against the SSG Landers from May 19-21.
Rosenberg’s short-term contract runs until June 2. Under KBO rules, the contract countdown began upon its announcement. For Kiwoom, this means they effectively spent two-thirds of the six-week deal without being able to utilize the player. If Wiles’ recovery remains slow, extending the short-term contract is possible but will incur additional costs.
