Can Doosan also benefit from the mega trade with Lotte?
Doosan Bears acting manager Jo Seong-hwan made changes before the 12th matchup of the season against the Samsung Lions in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League, held on July 3 at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, by demoting left-handed pitcher Lee Byeong-hun, catcher Ryu Hyun-jun, and outfielder Kim Dong-jun to the second team, and registering left-handed pitcher Kim Ho-jun, catcher Kim Gi-yeon, and outfielder Choo Jae-hyun.
Last year, Lee Byeong-hun, the youngest left-handed pitcher with 20 holds in professional baseball, was notified of his demotion to the second team about two weeks after returning to the first team on June 15. He came in during the 8th inning of the game against Samsung at Jamsil the previous day, when the team was leading 1-0, but was replaced by Ko Hyo-jun after walking the lead-off batter Kim Ji-chan.
Acting manager Jo noted, "Lee Byeong-hun didn't seem to pitch well yesterday beyond the walk, so I called up Kim Ho-jun, who is a similar type of pitcher."
"The successor to Yang Eui-ji," Kim Gi-yeon headed to the second team for reconditioning on June 23, spending ten days there, while Choo Jae-hyun received a call from acting manager Jo Seong-hwan about a month after being removed from the first team on May 30. Choo Jae-hyun performed strongly in the Futures League with a batting average of .397 over 22 games, hitting 2 home runs and 11 RBIs, registering an OPS of 1.057. "Doosan Ohtani" Kim Dong-jun was given time to regroup after posting a batting average of .262 with 1 home run and 8 RBIs over 23 games.
Acting manager Jo stated, "Kim Dong-jun probably felt like the past few days were a dream. Now that he has returned to reality, he showed some inconsistency in making contact with the ball. His contact rate has dropped, and improvements are needed. It would be great if results were evident immediately, but more time and experience are necessary." He also mentioned, "Choo Jae-hyun had some ups and downs in conditioning in the second team, but his form has recently improved. As for Ryu Hyun-jun, I praised him a lot for creating a good game as a starter."
Regarding Kim Gi-yeon's call-up, he remarked, "Yang Eui-ji's condition isn't particularly good right now. Since it is also Kim Gi-yeon's return date, I received reports that he has been training hard in the Futures League. Now, we'll see if Kim Gi-yeon's strengths can come out in first-team games."
Meanwhile, Doosan has lined up a starting lineup against Samsung's starter Choi Won-tae that includes Jung Soo-bin (center fielder), Oh Myung-jin (second baseman), Jake Cave (right fielder), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Park Jun-soon (third baseman), Kim Min-seok (first baseman), Choo Jae-hyun (left fielder), and Lee Yu-chan (shortstop). The starting pitcher is the homegrown ace Kwak Bin.
With Choo Jae-hyun's return, the duo of Kim Min-seok and Choo Jae-hyun, both of whom transferred due to the mega trade, have made their way into the starting lineup. It remains to be seen if they can deliver an impact similar to Jeon Min-jae and Jeong Cheol-won, who moved to the Lotte Giants.
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