Professional baseball team Lotte Giants' Jang Du-seong has been sidelined due to an unexpected injury.
Lotte announced on the 13th that Jang Du-seong had been removed from the first team roster before the match against SSG Landers of the '2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League' held at Incheon SSG Landers Field. This was due to an injury sustained in the away game against KT in Suwon on the 12th.
Jang Du-seong started as the lead-off center fielder in the game on the 12th, achieving 3 hits, 3 RBIs, 1 run, and 1 walk out of 5 at-bats. However, after getting on base with a walk in the top of the 9th, he was hit in the side by a pick-off throw from pitcher Park Young-hyun while returning to first base. As the ball rolled away, Jang Du-seong, enduring severe pain, advanced to second base.
Despite suffering a serious injury, Jang Du-seong successfully reached second base but vomited blood, leaving everyone shocked. He was immediately replaced by pinch runner Han Seung-hyun. Transported to nearby Hwahang Hospital, Jang Du-seong was confirmed to have sustained a bruise on his lung that caused the bleeding following a detailed examination. Lotte announced on the morning of the 13th, "Due to the lung bruise, he plans to be hospitalized at Hwahang Hospital for 4 to 5 days before moving to Busan."
Fortunately, the injury turned out to be less serious than expected. As the bleeding stopped, he was able to be discharged. Lotte explained on the 13th before the game, "Jang Du-seong has received a recommendation to be discharged since there is no bleeding visible while hospitalized at Hwahang Hospital. Therefore, he is likely to move to his home in Cheonan to rest. He is scheduled to undergo an additional examination by a thoracic and esophageal specialist at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul on Monday (16th)."
With Jang Du-seong sidelined due to injury, Lotte has lost its lead-off player due to injuries twice this season alone. First, Hwang Seong-bin suffered a fractured left ring finger while sliding into first base during the match against SSG on the 5th of last month. Jang Du-seong was given the lead-off role in place of Hwang Seong-bin, achieving a batting average of .333 (47 hits in 155 at-bats) with 23 RBIs, 34 runs, and 9 stolen bases, recording an OPS of .712. However, this time Jang Du-seong has also fallen to injury.
Lotte's manager Kim Tae-hyoung, relieved to hear that Jang Du-seong avoided a major injury, noted, "That would be considered a serious injury. I was really worried. I think we will decide what to do moving forward after the reexamination," expressing concern over Jang Du-seong's injury.
With the second lead-off also sidelined, manager Kim Tae-hyoung's concerns deepened. "Today, I put (Kim) Dong-hyeok in, but honestly, I have a bit of uncertainty. I even asked the hitting coach if Dong-hyeok is the leadoff. But from what I see, there are no players to go out as the lead-off. So I'm also thinking about using all the fast hitters once, considering (Son) Ho-young also hits aggressively."
Lotte hasn't only lost its lead-off player to injury. Many key players, including Yoon Dong-hee and Na Seung-yeop, are also sidelined due to injuries. In response to a question about the team's plans during the rainy season, manager Kim Tae-hyoung said, "It's not a situation to plan. I'm just glad there aren't more injuries," and then added with a wry smile, "Many of the injured players will be able to return in the second half. I sincerely hope it rains a lot."
Thanks to manager Kim Tae-hyoung's joke, the game was indeed canceled due to rain. It remains to be seen how Lotte, facing a crisis due to injuries, will overcome the challenges in the remainder of the season.
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