Choi Ji-man of the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB) failed to enter the opening roster.

MLBCOM reported on the 25th (Korea Standard Time) that "Choi Ji-man was notified by the New York Mets that he was not on the 26-man opening roster."

With 67 homers and 238 RBIs in a total of 525 appearances in the majors, Choi was considered a seasoned left-handed slugger. However, he did not play in many games because of his injuries in the past two seasons.

Eventually, he signed a split contract with the Mets. If he makes the opening roster, he will receive a total of $3.5 million a year. Several teams offered $1 million a year, but Choi chose to go to the Mets.

However, Choi had a batting average of 0.189 (7 hits in 37 times at bat), one homer, and five RBIs in 16 exhibition games. His OPS, combined with his on-base plus slugging percentage, was only 0.642. In addition, the Mets recruited slugger JD Martinez, who had 315 home runs overall, on Tuesday.

Choi Ji-man, who was not on the opening roster, decided to seek re-entry into the big leagues with Syracuse Mets, a Triple-A team under the Mets, instead of exercising an opt-out clause.