Several key players from each team have been lost to injury in quick succession, shaking up their rosters. Given their importance to their respective teams, teams will be scrambling to fill the void. A total of 21 players were removed from the first-team roster on Monday, a non-baseball day, before the doubleheader special roster expiration due to a doubleheader being played the previous day (Dec. 12).
The KBO announced the first-team roster additions and deletions on Wednesday. A total of 20 players were dropped to the second team, including two from LG (Kang Hyo-jong Park Dong-won), two from KT (Benjamin Hong Hyun-bin), three from SSG (Kim Min-joon Kim Chang-pyeong Song Young-jin), three from NC (Park Min-woo Shin Young-woo Chae Won-hoo), two from Doosan (Seo Yaeil Yoon Jun-ho), three from KIA (Kim Hyun-soo Byun Woo-hyuk Lee Hyung-beom), two from Lotte (Oh Sun-jin Hong Min-ki), and three from Kiwoom (Yoon Seok-won Lee Won-seok Jeon Jun-pyo). The total number of players is 21 if you include the expulsion of coach Kim Jung-joon due to LG’s coaching staff change.
LG announced several changes to its coaching staff in a press release on Wednesday. “We have made some changes to our coaching staff with the aim of strengthening our future resources,” LG said, announcing that it has promoted second team coach Seo Yong-bin to the position of power enhancement coordinator, which became vacant this season, and replaced first team head coach Kim Jung-joon with first team coach Lee Ho-joon QC, respectively. As a result, Kim has been demoted to the second team.
Catcher Park Dong-won and right-hander Kang Hyo-jong were also canceled. Park Dong-won was due to injury. LG explained, “Park Dong-won was injured while sliding home when Koo Bon-hyuk hit a double in the fourth inning of the game against Lotte on Nov. 11. At the time, he said he was fine and continued to play normally. Sunday was a rest day,” he explained. Park Dong-won underwent a knee MRI at Sejong Sports Orthopedics and was diagnosed with an injury to the posterior patellar muscle in his right knee. The recovery period is expected to be one to two weeks, according to LG.
Fortunately, it’s not a major injury, but LG will be without its catcher. Park Dong-won, who helped LG win the Korean Series last year, has been an anchor at the plate for LG this year, batting .266 with five home runs, 20 RBIs, and a .790 OPS in 40 games this season. While his batting has cooled off a bit recently, he is an irreplaceable resource both offensively and defensively. There is a backup catcher in Heo Do-hwan, but overall, it’s not easy to fill the void left by 메이저토토사이트 Park Dong-won. It will be interesting to see how much Kim Bum-seok will be utilized defensively after his impressive offensive numbers this year.
Kang Hyo-jong, who made a substitute start against Sajik Lotte on Wednesday, was pulled early after giving up three runs on two hits (one home run) and three walks in 1 1/3 innings and was sent back to the second team, just one day after signing up. Kang Hyo-jong has been touted as LG’s future mound leader, but he hasn’t made a strong impression in the first team. In five games in the Futures League this year, he is 1-1 with a 2.73 ERA.
KT is dealing with the loss of foreign pitcher Wes Benjamin. Benjamin started Game 1 of a doubleheader against Doosan on Dec. 12, but after giving up three runs on three hits in the first inning, he was pulled early due to pain in his elbow. KT said that no abnormalities were found after a medical examination, but explained that he was removed from the first-team roster for rest due to pain in his forearm.
Benjamin joined the organization in 2022 as an alternate foreign player and was re-signed after an impressive performance, going 15-6 with a 3.54 ERA in 29 games last year, his third year in the KBO. However, he had a rough start to the season, and while he recently improved his performance by increasing his arm angle, he was hampered by sudden pain. In eight games this season, he is 4-2 with a 5.19 ERA. KT, which has been plagued by frequent injuries to its starting pitchers this year, has now lost Benjamin from the rotation, adding to its woes. Outfielder Hong Hyun-bin was designated for assignment for a doubleheader on May 12, but was sent back down to the second team.
SSG dropped Kim Min-jun back to the second team after he was registered as a special entry ahead of the doubleheader on Wednesday. Kim Chang-pyeong and Song Young-jin were sent down to the second team. Song Young-jin, who was given a chance in the SSG starting lineup, pitched five innings of one-run baseball on May 7 against LG in Jamsil, but struggled a bit in Game 2 of the doubleheader against KIA on May 12, giving up five runs in four innings. With two games in a week, it is expected that other starters will be given a chance this week.
Kim Chang-pyeong, who was promoted to the first team with high hopes after a stellar performance in the second team, is back down to the second team after failing to break through the first team barrier. Kim had nine at-bats in six games for the first team, but only managed two walks and a stolen base without a hit. SSG dropped Kim to the second team to clear a spot for Han Yoo-seom, who is expected to return from injury on the 14th.
NC dropped starting second baseman Park Min-woo to the second team due to a sore shoulder. Park, who has been bothered by his right shoulder all year, was diagnosed with a partial rotator cuff injury after a medical examination. He will need two weeks of rehabilitation, so he will leave the first team and join the rehabilitation squad on the 14th. This is bad news for the NC, who were doing well. Park was still a key part of the NC batting lineup, hitting .301 with 13 RBIs, 16 doubles, and a .784 OPS in 37 games last season. However, the injury will keep him out for at least two weeks.
Young Guns Shin Young-woo and Chae Won-hoo, both of whom have shown impressive pitching since joining the first team, were also promoted to the second team. Shin Young-woo made a good impression in his first-team debut against SSG in Incheon on May 4, but gave up two runs on three hits in two innings against Samsung Electronics on May 12. However, he is expected to get more opportunities in the future. Chae Won-hoo will look forward to his next opportunity after posting a 12.00 ERA in three games this season.
With Pajuk’s eight-game hitting streak in the books, Doosan dropped infielder Seo Ye-il and outfielder Yoon Jun-ho to the second team. Both players were called up via special assignment ahead of the doubleheader on Wednesday. Kia also demoted Kim Hyun-soo and Byun Woo-hyuk, who were specially designated for assignment for the doubleheader on Wednesday, to the second team. Byun Woo-hyuk, who has been performing well in the second team, got his first chance on the 12th but was sent back to the second team a day later. Lee Hyung-beom, who was called up to the first team on May 10 to replace the injured Will Crowe, was sent back to the second team after failing to make a solid showing. He has a 7.20 ERA in six games for the first team this year.
Lotte sent infielder Oh Sun-jin to the second team. Oh had seen limited action this season, batting just .125 in eight games. Left-handed pitching prospect Hong Min-ki was registered as a backup starter against Sasik LG on May 12, but after giving up two runs on four hits in 2⅔ innings, he was sent back down to the second team.
Kiwoom lost pitcher Yoon Seok-won, infielder Jeon Jun-pyo and outfielder Lee Won-seok from the first team. Yoon had a 12.66 ERA in seven games last season, while Jeon had a 4.73 ERA in 13 games last season. Veteran Lee Won-seok hasn’t been hitting as well, with a .235 batting average and .612 OPS in 27 games this season.