'78 billion first baseman' Yang Seok-hwan (34, Doosan Bears) has now weathered the harsh winds of being sent to the second team for 35 days. Will we be able to see his powerful swing on the first team stage before the end of the first half?

Acting manager Cho Seong-hwan of the professional baseball Doosan Bears met with reporters at Jamsil last weekend and when asked about Yang Seok-hwan's return plan to the first team, he said, 'He is trying hard and I think we will need to have a detailed discussion.'

Right-handed slugger Yang Seok-hwan remained with Doosan through a 4+2 year maximum 78 billion won free agent contract last year, taking on a captain role while achieving 30 home runs and 100 RBIs at Jamsil Stadium (34 home runs, 107 RBIs). With this momentum, he secured the starting first baseman position early this year, but struggled with a batting average of .260 and a batting average with runners in scoring position of .224 over 56 games after the season began.

Despite the repeated struggles under former manager Lee Seung-yeop, Yang Seok-hwan was consistently given opportunities. Former manager Lee often noted, 'Our team needs (Yang) Seok-hwan to hit,' demonstrating unwavering trust regardless of performance. However, after the voluntary resignation of former manager Lee Seung-yeop, Yang was not included in the reform plan put forth by acting manager Cho Seong-hwan, and was notified of his first trip to the second team on the 3rd of last month. Before being demoted, he had a considerably low batting average of .167 over 10 games.

To make matters worse, Yang Seok-hwan faced a setback on June 4 during the second game of the Futures League against the SSG Landers, when he was hit by a pitch from Lee Geon-wook, resulting in a crack in his rib. Consequently, he went to the Izima Treatment Center in Yokohama, Japan, where he received rehabilitation treatment for about ten days.

After rehabilitation and recovery, Yang Seok-hwan reappeared on the 2nd in the Futures League game against the Goyang Heroes. In his comeback game, Yang Seok-hwan recorded a hit, followed by hitting a home run in the game against Goyang on the 3rd, and achieving 1 hit and 2 RBIs from 3 at-bats in the game against Sangmu on the 4th, and 1 hit and 1 RBI from 3 at-bats in the game against Sangmu on the 5th. His statistics over the 4 games since returning from injury are a batting average of .308 (4 hits from 13 at-bats), 1 home run, 4 RBIs, and 1 run.

Yang Seok-hwan is steadily building up in the second team. The acting manager mentioned the second team performance as a condition for his return to the first team. Acting manager Cho remarked, 'First, we need to assess how much Yang Seok-hwan can elevate his condition in the Futures League, and whether he can immediately play in the first team.' He added, 'It would be much better for him to produce some results in the Futures League. Of course, he can't get a hit every time he plays, but we must closely monitor the quality of his hits and strikeout rates.'

Does this mean that Yang Seok-hwan has not yet met the acting manager's criteria? Acting manager Cho replied, 'Right now, we're just checking how many at-bats and hits Yang Seok-hwan has in the Futures League. We need to have a detailed discussion in the future about his actual performance in the Futures League.'

Doosan will conclude the first half with a three-game midweek series against Lotte at Sajik Stadium in Busan from the 8th to the 10th. Currently, Yang Seok-hwan's absence is being filled by Kim Min-seok (left-handed hitter) and Kang Seung-ho (right-handed hitter) through a platoon system. Will Yang Seok-hwan receive a call from acting manager Cho in the final series of the first half as per his own goal? For now, Doosan excluded left-handed starter Choi Seung-yong from the first team entry on the 7th, when there are no games.

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