Professional baseball is nearing the end of the season and will start digesting the remaining games in earnest in September. Doubleheaders will be used to make up games that have been canceled due to rain.
As part of this schedule, expanded rosters will be implemented from the first of next month. With five more players than the previous 28, it is hoped that the expanded roster will allow teams to utilize a wider range of players and prevent injuries.
스포츠토토The five expanded roster spots are highly sought-after as they could have a major impact on the end-of-season standings for each team.
LG’s Seo Gun-chang (right) and head coach Yeom Kyung-yup. /Photo=OSEN
LG, Seo Gun-chang returns… A boost for a slumping batting lineup
“We will fill Seo Gun-chang, Kim Joo-sung, and one catcher with Kim Ki-yeon, and Oh Seok-joo and Lee Woo-chan,” said LG manager Yoon Kyung-yeop. “Woo-chan can’t play on the first day. We plan to register him on the second day.”
“We’re going to reinforce players in all positions. Currently, the biggest concern is batting. Coach Yoon Kyung-yeop said the batting lineup is stagnant, and he expected a spark. The team is counting on Seo Gun-chang, who hit 200 hits in a single season and won the batting title. Despite reuniting with his old mentor, Seo has struggled mightily this season and hasn’t played in the first team since mid-May. He’s batting just .207 in the Futures League, but has shown signs of rebounding with a .252 average in his last 10 games.
Kim Joo-seong is another infielder with a lot of promise. He joined the team in 2016 and made his first-team debut the following year, but has only played nine games and 11 at-bats in his professional career, including this season. In the Futures League, he hit .285 with two home runs, 27 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases.
The catching staff, anchored by veterans Park Dong-won and Heo Do-hwan, gets a boost with the addition of Kim Ki-yeon. Kim has a disappointing .120 batting average this season, but he could come in handy as a backup catcher at the end of the season.
On the pitching staff, right-handed pitcher Oh Seok-ju will be called up. He has shown promise this season, allowing two runs in six innings in five games, but was called back by Yeom a month after being waived on March 31. Lee Woo-chan, who was designated for assignment on the 23rd, will return on the 2nd after serving 10 days on the disabled list. He is 1-2 with a 3.42 ERA in three starts this season and is expected to provide a big boost out of the bullpen.
Doosan’s Park Shin-ji. /Photo=OSEN
Doosan reinforces starter Park Shin-ji and bullpen Lee Hyung-beom for tough schedule
Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop said he will call up pitchers Lee Hyung-beom and Kim Jung-woo, infielders Lee Yoo-chan and Park Ji-hoon, and another pitcher, Park Shin-ji, who is expected to start against the Sasik Lotte Giants in Busan next month.
Lee Hyung-beom was the team’s closer when Doosan won the 2019 championship. He has struggled since then, going 1-1 with a 6.33 ERA in 22 games this season, but the team hopes he can contribute to the team with the expanded roster. In the Futures League, he went 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA in 14 games with two saves.
Jung-woo Kim also received a second chance after going winless in six games this season with an 8.53 ERA, but was dominant in the Futures, going 3-1 with seven saves and a 1.47 ERA.
Considered one of the top five candidates for the starting job heading into the season, Park spent most of his time in the second team, competing with Kim Dong-joo and Choi Seung-yong. As the rest of the schedule progressed, doubleheaders and other situations created a need for more starters, and he was given the opportunity to start again.
Lee was given a steady opportunity until midway through the season, when he was designated for assignment due to frequent errors. He was recalled because his defense and batting were enough to provide a boost. Park Ji-hoon fills the remaining spot. Park, who joined the team in 2020 and served his military obligation after the 2021 season, has been hitting well in the Futures League with a .377 batting average, earning him his second first-team opportunity this season.
Doosan’s Lee Yoo-chan. /Photo=Newsis