LG has removed right-handed slugger Lee Jae-won (24), who the team has high hopes for as its next top four batsman, from the first team roster ahead of the Incheon SSG game on Friday. He felt pain in his left thigh while fielding the previous day (24th), and a medical examination revealed a micro-damage to the muscle.
Initially, it was announced on the 24th that it was not a major problem and that it was to protect the player. LG said it was just icing and there were no plans for a medical examination. However, when the pain continued, he went to the hospital, where a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan revealed the injury.
“I need to rest for at least two weeks, maybe 20 days,” said LG coach Yeom Kyung-yup. It is expected to take longer than that for him to recover, play, and return to the first team. LG has a lot of outfielders, but Lee Jae-won has something that sets him apart from other outfielders. He’s a right-handed hitter who can hit long balls. There is no other outfielder in LG with this trait.
Now recognized as one of the top outfielders in the KBO, Lee Jae-won was chosen as an ambitious strategist by LG manager Yoon Kyung-yeop this year. Yoon is convinced that if he fixes the problems he has now, he can one day become a big player who can hit 40 home runs in three seasons. “That’s why I wanted him to delay his military service a little bit, and even if he did enlist, I wanted him to get a year or two of good experience before he went. I emphasized that it’s a big difference between having that experience and not having it when you come back.
Even in camp, he had a solid strategy. Yeom revealed early on that he wanted to put Park Dong-won, a catcher who can also punch, and Lee Jae-won in the seventh or eighth spot in the batting order. The batting order was interchangeable, but it meant two things. By batting the two at the back of the order, we wanted to keep the opposing pitcher on his toes, and we were confident that they wouldn’t be able to throw strikes easily because of their power. On the other hand, it was also a strategy to take Lee Jae-won out of the batting order to allow him to grow.
However, Lee has been plagued by frequent injuries this year that have kept him out of the picture. Before the start of the season, he injured his side. After rehabbing his side, he was added to the first team on May 6 and started the season in earnest, only to be sidelined again 19 days later. Yoon’s “long-hitting seven or eight runs” will have to go for now. It’s even more unfortunate because he was in great shape, hitting a ton of home runs.
스포츠토토 This may not be the only outfield option LG is missing. The KBO Power Enhancement Committee, which is set to announce the final roster for the Hangzhou Asian Games in June, will also miss Lee’s departure. It’s not a done deal, but it’s a disappointing loss of an option and a card to weigh.
One of the people involved in the selection of the preliminary roster said, “A lot of the good hitters these days are lefties. There are very few right-handers, especially those who can hit long balls.” Yeom, who served as the head of the technical committee before being appointed as LG’s head coach, said, “That’s true. There are no right-handers. Coach Ryu Jung-il will have to think about it.”
It’s not necessary to have a left-handed bat, but it’s better to have a minimum balance. One of the hottest players in the right outfield has been Lee Jae-won. However, he was unable to play in June, leaving the team with one less option to consider. An injury to a highly touted prospect has darkened many faces.