Cam Alldred signs with the Kia Tigers in this photo provided by the Kia Tigers, May 29. Yonhap

The Korean baseball-leading Kia Tigers on Wednesday signed former major league pitcher Cam Alldred as a temporary replacement for injured ace Wil Crowe.

The Tigers, leading the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) with a record of 32-20-1 (wins-losses-ties), said Alldred agreed to a $325,000 contract, which includes a $25,000 signing bonus. He will be asked to fill the hole in their rotation while Crowe remains out due to elbow ligament damage.

The Tigers are the second KBO club this month to make use of the new rule allowing the signing of foreign players to short-term deals in case of injuries to incumbent players. The SSG Landers signed Japanese pitcher Keisho Shirakawa last Wednesday to hold the fort in the rotation while Roenis Elias recovers from an oblique injury.

Under this new rule, teams can acquire a temporary replacement if a current player suffers an injury that requires at least six weeks on the sidelines and lands on the newly recreated rehab list. In this case, teams won't lose one of their two opportunities to change foreign players during a season. By instituting this rule, the league sought to address competitive imbalances caused by long-term injuries to foreign players.

Temporary replacement players may not be paid more than $100,000 per month.

Alldred, 27, was a 24th-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018. He logged one scoreless inning of work for the Pirates in 2022 for his only major league action to date.

The left-hander has spent the most of the past three season in Triple-A. In nine starts this year, Alldred went 1-3 with a 6.88 ERA across 34 innings.

The Tigers said Alldred throws a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a slider and a changeup, and has good deception in his delivery, able to hide the ball until the last moment to keep hitters off balance.

Alldred is scheduled to arrive in Korea on Friday.

Crowe first complained of elbow pains after a bullpen session on May 8, and multiple tests showed partial damage in the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow. Crowe left for the United States on May 14 to seek a second opinion. A UCL tear for pitchers requires Tommy John reconstructive surgery, followed by at least a year of rehab and recovery.

The Tigers asked the league office to place Crowe on the rehab list.

Once on the rehab list, the injured foreign players will be eligible to return after a minimum of six weeks. And when they return to action, their replacement must either be replaced by another foreign player or be waived outright.

Before hitting the sidelines, Crowe was tied for the KBO lead with five wins and ranked eighth with a 3.57 ERA.

The Tigers have the best starting pitching ERA in the KBO at 3.50. (Yonhap)