A Perplexed Chan-ho

Because Park Chan-ho, a 28-year-old pitcher of the Texas Rangers, has been asked to participate in an extension of spring camp where recovering players and rookies are gathered to train themselves and hold mini games, questions over its meaning have arisen.

Through his official homepage, www.mlbpark.com, Park said on Tuesday, “I will head for Surprise in Arizona where the extension camp of my team is and do final work-outs until June 23. I will go through actual pitching practice only one time.”

He added, “I am maintaining good health. Everything is good including my injured waist. My condition is also getting better.”

But, Park’s remark is contradictory to his team’s decision that suddenly asked him to go to Arizona after a three-week long silence without designating his recovering pitching schedule since his inclusion on the list of the injured.

Last year, Texas left Park on its minor league roster for 51 days in the beginning of the season, but was faced with aggravated injury and failure in receiving insurance money over Park’s annual salary that can be collected after 90 days from getting an injury. Park’s comeback appears to be delayed because this decision seems to be Texas’s intention of registering Park’s name on the list of the injured until he fully recovers.

On the other hand, Bong Jung-kuen, a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, will go to the mound for his second time this season as a starter in a home game against Texas at 8:10 a.m. on June 16.

Hwan Soo Zang zangpabo@donga.com