On the 20th of last month, after being removed from the first team, the shocking news about '460 million won free agent compensation player' Park Jun-young (Doosan Bears) who also disappeared from the second team has been reported.
Doosan Bears acting manager Jo Sung-hwan met with reporters on the 22nd during the 8th season matchup against the LG Twins at Seoul’s Jamsil Stadium for the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League and said, "Park Jun-young is unable to train normally due to a back injury. He is on rest."
Park Jun-young, who is referred to as the successor of 'genius shortstop' Kim Jae-ho, was scheduled to start in the match against the SSG Landers on May 20, but was removed from the first team due to a recurrent chronic back injury during pre-game practice.
Park Jun-young left for Icheon for rehabilitation after posting a batting average of .225 (25 hits in 111 at-bats) with 1 home run, 10 RBIs, 9 runs, 3 stolen bases, and an OPS of .628 in 41 games this season. It was a setback that occurred 60 days after joining the opening roster.
Park Jun-young has not participated in any Futures League games for over a month. As of the morning of the 23rd, there are no records in the Futures League. How serious is his back injury that he cannot even appear in games?
Acting manager Jo Sung-hwan expressed his regret, saying, "The back was originally an area of pain, but it seems to have become a bit more severe." He noted, "He does not say it is serious, but the medical opinion is otherwise. Seeing that the return plan is continuously delayed, it seems like he needs a little more time."
The reason Park Jun-young was particularly on the mind that day is that he showed a career batting average of .600 (3 hits in 5 at-bats) and 1 RBI against LG starter Song Seung-gi. Acting manager Jo Sung-hwan reminisced, saying, "Park Jun-young once hit a ball against the fence against Song Seung-gi. I thought of Park Jun-young while watching the video today."
So when can Park Jun-young return as the field commander of the Doosan infield? When asked if he would find it difficult to return in the second half of the season, acting manager Jo Sung-hwan replied, "I don’t think so," and added, "Even if he recovers completely, he will need to start with rehabilitation training and play Futures League games, so it will probably take longer than now; however, I believe he will return to the first team before it is too late."
Park Jun-young, who was selected first overall by the NC Dinos in the 2016 rookie draft, joined the Doosan Bears as compensation for Park Se-hyok, who signed a 4-year, 460 million won free agent contract with NC in December 2022.
Park Jun-young was selected as the next-generation starting shortstop to succeed Kim Jae-ho, but has struggled with injury issues every year since his transfer, failing to settle in the first team. He only appeared in 51 games in 2023 and 65 games in 2024. He had been suffering from hamstring issues, but this year he has had to take time for rehabilitation again due to a recurrent chronic back injury.
[OSEN]