Professional baseball player Youm Kyoung-youb of the LG Twins has completed preparations for his return to the first team and is expected to participate in a return match this weekend.

Youm Kyoung-youb pitched in a practice game for the reserve team at LG Champions Park in Icheon on the 29th. Since there were no Futures League games that day, he recorded a scoreless inning in a practice game against the independent league's Yeoncheon Miracle.

Youm Kyoung-youb finished the inning with just 6 pitches and threw an additional 11 pitches in the bullpen due to insufficient pitch count. His fastball reached a top speed of 146 km/h.

Youm Kyoung-youb made his first official appearance of the season on the 22nd in a Futures League game against the NC Dinos, where he recorded 1 inning with 1 hit allowed and 1 strikeout without giving up any runs. His fastball reached a top speed of 148 km/h. After resting for four days, he cleanly recorded another scoreless inning in his second appearance.

Manager Youm Kyoung-youb noted on the 27th regarding his return schedule, "He will pitch again on the 29th before coming up. If he joins the first team this weekend without any issues with his arm, he will rest for two days before pitching in the game on Sunday." He also stated, "Just having Kyoung-youb back lifts our spirits. There is a world of difference between having two players and three players."

He will be a great asset to the LG bullpen, which is currently operating on a 'survival' basis. The key members of the LG bullpen are Kim Jin-sung and Park Myeong-geun. This is because the 5.2 billion won free agent Jang Hyun-sik (latissimus dorsi) and 1.4 billion won free agent Kim Kang-ryul (shoulder) are sidelined due to injuries.

The LG Twins could not use both Kim Jin-sung and Park Myeong-geun in the game against Hanwha on the 29th, as they had pitched in both games on the 27th and 28th. Jin-wook Lee took the mound in the 8th inning with a 2-1 lead, and Young-woo Kim pitched in the 9th inning with a 3-1 lead, finishing the game. Rookie Kim Young-woo recorded his first save. Recently, Baek Seung-hyeon, Lee Ji-kang, and Kim Young-woo have performed well and are approaching key bullpen status, but managing the bullpen is a day-to-day struggle.

Youm Kyoung-youb was drafted by the LG Twins in the second round, 43rd overall, in the 2020 rookie draft. After completing his military service, he made his first-team debut in 2023. He began his rookie season in the bullpen as a middle reliever but rose to a key relief role in the middle of the season. He contributed to LG's combined championship, recording 6 wins, 3 losses, 1 save, and 12 holds over 67 games, with an earned run average of 3.44.

Last year, he recorded 7 wins, 5 losses, 26 saves, and 1 hold over 62 games as the closer, with an earned run average of 2.97. Participating as a national representative in the Premier 12 tournament held in Taiwan last November, Youm Kyoung-youb received a diagnosis of a stress fracture of the right elbow's olecranon after the tournament. He underwent surgery to remove an olecranon spur in early December and has been undergoing rehabilitation.

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