After the end of the 9-game series and a day of rest, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) disclosed the status of the 1st Army roster registration/cancellation on the 8th.
Six players, including Lotte pitcher Koo Seung-min, Samsung infielder Ahn Joo-hyung and pitcher Jeong Min-seong, Doosan outfielder Kim Min-seok, Kiwoom infielder Kim Woong-bin, and outfielder Park Soo-jong, have been removed from the 1st Army roster. There are no new registrations in the 1st Army. The empty spots from the canceled roster are expected to be filled on the 10th.
Doosan sent down outfielder Kim Min-seok to the 2nd Army. In a massive trade with Lotte last November, Kim Min-seok transferred to Doosan. Kim Min-seok, who was drafted as the overall 3rd pick in the 1st round of the 2023 draft by Lotte, showed great performance in this year's spring training, recording a batting average of .333 after the trade. He was utilized as a leadoff hitter.
However, Kim Min-seok struggled with a batting average in the .100s after the season opener and went down to the 2nd Army in early April, making a return to the 1st Army on April 20. After his return, he recorded 4 hits in 17 at-bats over the last 10 games, with a batting average of .235. In May, he played in 4 games, getting 1 hit in 3 at-bats, indicating limited opportunities. He went down to the 2nd Army again for some reconditioning time.
Lotte reliever Koo Seung-min has also been sent down to the 2nd Army again. Koo Seung-min has struggled this season, appearing in 5 games, with a record of 1 loss, 1 hold, and an earned run average (ERA) of 14.73.
In his season debut on March 23 against LG, Koo pitched 2/3 of an inning, allowing 3 hits (1 home run), 1 walk, striking out 2 batters, and yielding 4 earned runs. He was sent down to the 2nd Army on March 27, and in 6 appearances there, he recorded 2 saves and an ERA of 1.35.
He returned to the 1st Army on the 29th of last month, pitching in 4 games, totaling 3 innings, allowing 3 hits, 2 walks, 1 hit batter, striking out 2 batters, and giving up 3 earned runs (2 of which were earned). In his last 2 games, he allowed 2 earned runs and 1 earned run, respectively. In the game against SSG on the 7th, he pitched 1/3 of an inning, allowing 1 hit, 1 walk, and 1 earned run (unearned).
Last year, Koo Seung-min appeared in 66 games, achieving 5 wins, 3 losses, 13 holds, and an ERA of 4.84, serving as a setup man. After the season, he obtained free agent (FA) eligibility and signed a 2+2 year contract with Lotte, worth up to 2.1 billion won (with a signing bonus of 300 million won, total annual salary of 1.2 billion won, and total aggregates of 600 million won). He has struggled in his first year of the contract.
Ahn Joo-hyung was sent down to the 2nd Army just 5 days after being called up to the 1st Army. He played in 3 games and recorded 2 hits in 9 at-bats. Jeong Min-seong, who received the monthly Mediheal Futures Rookie Award in the Futures League, made an emergency start against Doosan on the 4th, but struggled, allowing 4 earned runs in 1 inning.
Kiwoom's Park Soo-jong registered with the 1st Army for the first time at the end of April, playing in 6 games and recording 1 hit in 10 at-bats, with a batting average of .100. Kim Woong-bin was called up on the 7th and made his starting debut as a designated hitter against KI, recording 0 hits in 2 at-bats before being replaced. He was sent down to the 2nd Army again the following day.
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