The return of Lee Eui-ri, a starting reinforcement for the KIA Tigers, has been delayed further. Although being cautious, he is taking even more careful steps.
Lee was scheduled to pitch in a Futures League game against the NC Dinos at the Changwon Masan Stadium on the 14th. It was the first live pitch in over a year since undergoing elbow ligament surgery last June.
However, ahead of the NC game on the 13th, a KIA official noted, “We were planning for him to start tomorrow, but I discussed with the coaching staff to do one more live pitching. Given that he is a player who had elbow surgery, we want to confirm his condition once more,” adding, “We changed our plan to do another live pitching on Sunday (15th). It’s not that his physical condition is bad; this is just an effort to double-check.”
Lee raised expectations for a healthy return by throwing at 146 km/h during bullpen pitching on May 13. He was expected to return to the first team by the end of June. However, inflammation in his elbow was discovered during a check-up at the end of May, putting a temporary hold on his return schedule. After recently completing live pitching and setting a return date, he is now taking another break.
The club stated, “First, we will proceed with live pitching on Sunday and then reschedule his actual game appearance.” It is expected that he will complete about three Futures game appearances before returning to the first team.
Currently, foreign one-two punch James Naile and Adam Oller are holding up well, but there are too many injuries. Injuries are widespread among both pitchers and batters. Players like Na Sung-bum, Kim Sun-bin, and Kim Do-young, along with Hwang Dong-ha, who suffered an unexpected car accident, will only be able to return in the latter half of the season.
In such circumstances, the pitching staff must hold up well. With Yang Hyun-jong staying solid and Yoon Young-cheol gradually coming to life, the entire pitching staff will gain momentum when Lee returns.
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