Chae Eun-seong of the Hanwha Eagles is expected to be sidelined for the time being.
Hanwha arranged its starting lineup for the game against the SSG Landers, held at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 27th, as follows: Lee Jin-young (right fielder), Luis Liberato (center fielder), Moon Hyun-bin (left fielder), Roh Si-hwan (third baseman), Choi In-ho (designated hitter), Kim Tae-yean (first baseman), Lee Do-yoon (second baseman), Choi Jae-hun (catcher), and Shim Woo-jun (shortstop).
The starting pitcher is Eom Sang-baek. Eom Sang-baek has recorded 1 win, 6 losses, and an earned run average of 6.06 over 12 games (52 innings) this season. In his last outing, he faced Lotte, pitching 3⅔ innings, allowing 6 hits (1 home run), 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, and 6 runs (5 earned) resulting in a loss. This will be his first appearance of the season against SSG.
Chae Eun-seong, who has shown good performance this season with a batting average of .291 (77 hits in 265 at-bats), 11 home runs, 39 RBIs, 30 runs, and an OPS of .838, was injured during the game on the 26th after colliding with Yang Do-geun. As a result, he was excluded from the starting lineup for that day. Manager Kim Kyung-moon noted, "Chae Eun-seong has improved a lot since he got hurt yesterday. However, I think he still needs rest until this weekend. Since he can rest on Monday as well, I plan to give him a break until this weekend."
"We will have to see his condition on Monday," said Manager Kim Kyung-moon. "There is no issue with the bones. It is similar to a muscle strain. However, such injuries tend to last longer than expected. With Monday in between, I think it is best for him to rest this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and I plan for Kim Tae-yean to start and take over the game instead."
Liberato, who joined Hanwha as an injury replacement for Estevan Florial, has gotten off to a good start, recording a batting average of .385 (5 hits in 13 at-bats), 2 RBIs, 1 run, and an OPS of .923 over 3 games. Manager Kim Kyung-moon commented, "Even on the first day and when the team was losing, he had great opportunities. I believe he is fulfilling his role very well," adding, "Not all hitters can simply launch the ball. Liberato tries to advance bases and does not swing too hard. He is a very valuable player from the team's perspective."
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