Two fielders, who were certain to be the main players, left the battlefield side by side due to injuries. The need to prepare for the expected “battle gap” in the second half of the year has become even greater. 토토사이트
The starting pitcher was Kim Min-seok, who debuted in the second year. He felt pain in his right side during defense training on Tuesday, and was absent from the lineup for the opening game of an exhibition game two days later. It was a ruptured internal oblique muscle. He needs to undergo rehabilitation for a month.
Next up was Han Dong-hee. He started as the fifth batter and third baseman at a match against SSG Landers on Tuesday and got angry. Immediately after hitting a foul off pitcher Song Young-jin’s high ball at the bottom of the fifth inning, he grabbed his side and was immediately replaced. Coincidentally, his right internal oblique muscle, which is the same part as his junior’s, ruptured. He said, “Rehabilitation requires four to six weeks.”
It was all the more sudden news because of his performance at the spring camp. Having shown poor performance with a batting average of 0.223 with five homers in 108 games last year, Han Dong-hee visited the U.S. during the off-season, receiving advice from Kang Jung-ho, a former big leaguer, and struggled hard. As a result, he garnered high expectations by displaying strong batting performances including home runs at practice matches at the spring camp. Kim Min-seok was also steadily appointed as the first and second batter.
He lost a built-in table setter and a center hitter for four days. Although he did not have to leave for a long time, the actual gap has been prolonged due to the opening about a week earlier than usual. Even if his rehabilitation ends as expected, he has to endure for more than two weeks after the opening.
The importance of substitute players has also increased as well. A good example is Ko Seung-min, a utility resource. He played first baseman and right fielder last season, but saw second baseman when he was a rookie, and even prepared left fielder this winter. He is a likely candidate to fill in Kim’s vacancy.
He has displayed impressive batting performance lately. He played in all three exhibition games up to the previous day, recording six hits in 11 times at bat (0.545) and two stolen bases. Based on his strength at bat, he competed for second baseman until the end of the spring camp, but lost to Park Seung-wook and Kim Min-sung in terms of defense stability. Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung said at the time that his team’s utilization would be highly effective, but the opportunity to prove it came earlier than expected.
There is also an alternative to Han Dong-hee’s absence. Park Seung-wook, Kim Min-sung, and Noh Jin-hyuk can all play third baseman. Jung Hoon and Choi Hang, who are classified as backups, should also contribute to tight infield living.
It can be seen as a kind of rehearsal. Han Dong-hee applied for a position at the end of last year. If she finally passes the position, she has to join the military in June. Competition for rankings at the last minute of the first half is in full swing. If she fails to find a suitable solution right after the opening of the game, her worries in the second half of the game will also grow.