Former Brewers first baseman taking a break from baseball to fulfill mandatory military service

A former Brewers first baseman is stepping away from the game, but not for injury or performance reasons. Instead, Ji-Man Choi is temporarily pausing his baseball career to fulfill mandatory military service, a commitment required in his home country of South Korea. Once this requirement is fulfilled, a 2027 return to baseball is the goal, as the required military service duration is between 18 and 21 months long.

Ji-Man Choi taking a break from baseball to fulfill mandatory military service

Although he appeared in just 12 games for Milwaukee, Choi is a well-remembered player. He joined the Brewers as a non-roster invitee prior to the 2018 season, had an incredible spring, and made the Opening Day roster.

On Opening Day that year in San Diego, Choi hit a two-out, pinch-hit double in the 12th inning and then scored the eventual game-winning run thanks to an RBI-base knock from Orlando Arcia. The following day, Choi was optioned to the minor leagues. 

Choi returned to the big leagues with the Brewers from late May through early June, but was then traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for first baseman Brad Miller. Milwaukee's decision to trade him, interestingly, came a day after he hit a pinch-hit grand slam against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Choi ended up spending five seasons with the Rays, had MLB stints with the Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023, and was in the New York Mets farm system a season ago before being released mid-season. He appeared in the 2020 World Series with the Rays, a season after his best year in MLB; Choi posted an .822 OPS with 19 HR in a 2.1 WAR season for Tampa Bay in 2019.

News of Choi returning to South Korea to fulfill his mandatory military service was broken by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Topkin noted that Choi, who will be turning 34 years old later this month, plans on resuming baseball afterwards in the Korea Baseball Organization.

While his return to professional baseball is still a few years away, Choi’s decision marks an important personal milestone as he steps away from the game to fulfill a national duty. If all goes as planned, fans can expect to see him back on the field in 2027, this time in front of a home crowd in the KBO.