When will the injury-plagued professional baseball team KT Wiz become complete?
Coach Lee Kang-cheol of KT is waiting for injured players to return one after another when the second half begins after the All-Star break.
KT is missing players like Kang Baek-ho (ankle), Hwang Jae-kyun (hamstring), Son Dong-hyun (shoulder), Kim Min-soo (knee), and Jang Joon-won (ankle) due to injuries. Foreign hitter Rojas has been sent down to the second team due to poor hitting.
On the 24th, Hwang Jae-kyun was seen lightly training at KT Wiz Park. Coach Lee Kang-cheol said of Hwang Jae-kyun, "His physical condition is not complete. It hasn't fully healed yet. He said that if he gradually improves while doing skill training, he will start running. I think it will be after the All-Star break."
He continued, "Dong-hyun is also in an 8-week rehabilitation period, and it will be 8 weeks after the All-Star break. Joon-won should also be fine if he does well. Joon-won has been sent down to the second team to do skill training. I heard that Baek-ho will be the last to return."
Jang Joon-won suffered a left ankle fracture during defense in the match against Doosan on May 1 and underwent surgery. Son Dong-hyun is out due to a shoulder muscle tear since May 26. Kang Baek-ho twisted his right ankle and tore ligaments during the match against Doosan on May 28. Hwang Jae-kyun suffered a hamstring injury during base running in the match against Doosan on May 29.
Kang Baek-ho has played for 7 seasons until last year and will be eligible for free agency after this season. Before his injury, he appeared in 43 games with a batting average of .255 (40 hits in 157 at-bats), 7 home runs, and 23 RBIs, showing subpar performance.
Kang Baek-ho seems to have no problems fulfilling the first team registration period (145 days) required for free agency. His registration days were 114 in 2022 due to injury, but he can make up 60 days for participation in the 2019 Premier 12 national team, thus meeting the 145-day requirement.
In addition, there are 20 days from his participation as a national representative in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 (10 days) and the World Baseball Classic national representative in 2023 (10 days). Kang Baek-ho was registered on the injured list for 30 days this year, with his first team registration period at 87 days. He has been excluded from the first team roster since June 17. He needs to fulfill the remaining 38 days on the first team registration period after returning from injury.
Pre-free agent Kang Baek-ho was evaluated to potentially secure a $10 billion free agency deal before the season, but his injury and underperformance may change the market's assessment. He needs to return from injury and demonstrate his power-hitting abilities in good health.
Meanwhile, Rojas, who was sent down to the second team on the 21st due to poor hitting, is currently only training. The coach said, "I told him to just train, take a break, and go to second team games when he's comfortable." Kim Min-soo, who has recovered from knee pain, will soon appear in a second team game.
A KT official said, "Kim Min-soo was scheduled to check his physical condition by appearing in the Futures League on the 24th, but the game was canceled due to rain. After checking his physical condition in actual game appearances in the Futures League, we will decide on the timing for his call-up."
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