The professional baseball team Kiwoom Heroes aims to rebound through strengthening their starting rotation in the upcoming June.

Kiwoom announced on the 19th that they have requested the KBO to waive foreign player Yasiel Puig, and have signed a contract with right-handed pitcher Raul Alcántara for a remaining season total of $400,000 (approximately 5 billion won), including a salary of $250,000 (approximately 3 billion won) and an option of $150,000 (approximately 2 billion won). Although they started the season with two foreign position players, they decided to bring in another foreign pitcher due to difficulties arising from the poor performance of the starting lineup.

Manager Hong Won-ki of Kiwoom said in an interview before the match against the Samsung Lions at the ‘2025 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ held on the 20th at Gocheok Sky Dome, "I think it's still early when you think it's late. I made this decision under the judgment that change is needed before it gets too late."

Alcántara, who recorded a total of 101 games (627⅔ innings) with 46 wins and 24 losses and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.21 in the KBO League, excelled in 2020 while playing for Doosan, recording 20 wins and 2 losses with an ERA of 2.54 over 31 games (198⅔ innings), earning the Golden Glove for pitching. Thanks to this performance, he also advanced to Nippon Professional Baseball (Hanshin).

Alcántara, who recorded 2 wins and 2 losses with an ERA of 4.76 over 12 games (64⅓ innings) last season for Doosan, left the team due to an injury. This year, he played in the Mexican League, recording 1 loss with an ERA of 7.17 over 5 games (21⅓ innings). Manager Hong Won-ki said, "The expectation is clearly for a 20-win season. While I have expectations, time has passed, and things are different now than then. However, based on what I've seen on video, there isn't a significant difference from when he was performing well. For now, I hope he achieves good results."

During the process of parting ways with Doosan last year, Alcántara also had conflicts with the team regarding injury issues. Manager Hong Won-ki explained, "I have heard about that. However, stories can always lead to misunderstandings as they pass through people. Also, what is mixed in might not be his intention. Let’s put that aside for now and just hope for a healthy performance on the mound." He added, "We received MRI images from Mexico, and the domestic hospital concluded that there were no issues."

Alcántara, who is scheduled to arrive in Korea on the 25th, is expected to receive a visa in Japan, throw a bullpen session to assess his condition, and then participate immediately in first-team games. Manager Hong Won-ki remarked, "Since Alcántara has been playing continuously in Mexico, it seems he won’t need to pitch in the Futures League."

Along with the acquisition of Alcántara, the return of star left-handed rookie pitcher Jung Hyun-woo is also approaching. Jung Hyun-woo joined Kiwoom as the overall first pick in the 2025 rookie draft. With high expectations, Jung immediately joined the starting rotation, recording 2 wins and an ERA of 4.80 over 3 games (15 innings), but was removed from the team due to a shoulder injury.

Jung Hyun-woo, who received a diagnosis that he has fully recovered from his shoulder injury, is slowly preparing for his return to the first team. However, he does not plan to rush his comeback. Manager Hong Won-ki stated, "I think we might see him in June. Since we can't afford a recurrence of the injury, there are also opinions to make sure everything is settled before proceeding. We intend to firmly go through the ITP stage and set dates for bullpen sessions and second-team appearances."

Kiwoom is currently at the bottom of the league with the highest starter ERA (5.54). Due to the collapse of the starting lineup, the team's record stands at 14 wins and 36 losses, with a win rate of .280, placing them at the bottom as well. In this situation, the joining of Alcántara and Jung Hyun-woo could be a significant boost. It remains to be seen if Kiwoom can successfully change the momentum with the addition of Alcántara and Jung Hyun-woo.

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