Another injury has occurred in the back door of professional baseball team KT Wiz.
KT Wiz has removed right-handed pitcher Kim Min-soo and rookie infielder Oh Seo-jin from the roster ahead of their 9th matchup this season against the Lotte Giants in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League, scheduled for the 12th at Suwon KT Wiz Park, and they have registered infielder Moon Sang-cheol and right-handed pitcher Lee Jeong-hyun.
The reason for Kim Min-soo's removal is due to injury. Kim, who originally had issues with his knee, was found to have swelling in the area around his right kneecap following a medical examination on that day. A KT official noted, “We have removed him from the first team roster for management purposes until the pain subsides.”
On-site, manager Lee Kang-cheol said, “We need to continue checking his condition. The scans show no major issues, but he feels uneasy.” He added, “He had been hit on the knee by a ball before. He said he was fine and tried to endure it, but it was a pretty hard hit at that time. That might still be lingering.”
Kim Min-soo is an indispensable key asset in the back door of KT, fulfilling a versatile role. This season, he has also dedicated himself, participating in 36 games with a record of 3 wins, 2 losses, 10 holds, and an earned run average of 4.41, tying for 2nd in the most innings pitched out of the bullpen (34⅔ innings) and 6th in holds. However, due to the unexpected injury, a minimum absence of 10 days is unavoidable. With Son Dong-hyun having been removed from the roster due to a shoulder injury after maintaining an earned run average below 1, Kim Min-soo's absence will be even more keenly felt.
Manager Lee Kang-cheol plans to set the bullpen with Won Sang-hyun, Jeon Yong-joo, and Woo Kyu-min in front of closer Park Young-hyun for the time being. Fortunately, left-handed pitcher Jeon Yong-joo has rebounded recently, going six games in a row without giving up a run, serving as a silver lining amid the adversity. Lee stated, “There are no excuses because there are players missing. We must overcome this. We plan to operate the back door tightly with the players we have.”
Meanwhile, KT has set its starting lineup against Lotte's left-handed starter Kim Jin-wook, featuring Bae Jeong-dae (center fielder), Kim Sang-su (second baseman), Ahn Hyun-min (designated hitter), Jang Seong-woo (catcher), Heo Gyeong-min (third baseman), Mel Rojas Jr. (left fielder), Oh Yoon-seok (first baseman), Jang Jin-hyuk (right fielder), and Kwon Dong-jin (shortstop). The starting pitcher will be So Hyung-jun.
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