Kia Tigers' star hitter Kim Do-young is returning.
First, Ollor will take the mound as the starting pitcher in the Futures League game against Sangmu on the 29th in Mungyeong. Following that, Kim Do-young will complete his practical examination this week and return to the first team. Key players in both pitching and hitting will begin their activities next week. After reinforcing the bullpen with a big deal of 3-for-3 with NC Dinos, they will become a complete squad.
Manager Lee Beom-ho announced the return plans for Ollor and Kim Do-young before the game against Doosan Bears on the 29th at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field. The manager noted, "Today, I’ll pitch 50 throws as the starting pitcher against Sangmu. After that, I have arranged for the starting rotation for this Sunday’s game against Hanwha (3rd)."
Ollor has been sidelined for an extended period due to elbow inflammation that developed after pitching against Kiwoom on June 25. After ten days of treatment, he halted pitching until he could receive a doctor's opinion in the U.S. Eventually, his absence for about four starting appearances left a gap in the rotation, leading to a recent poor record of 1 win and 10 losses.
The manager shared even better news regarding Kim Do-young, who has been out due to a right hamstring injury. "He will be put into practice this week. I’m not sure how it will go since there aren't many Futures games. We might have a practice game against Sangmu or Hampyeong or do live batting. I've received reports that there are no issues at all. Once he completes his practical examination this week, he will start playing in the first team from next week," he said.
If Kim Do-young returns, it will be like having a great reinforcement. He recorded 7 home runs and an OPS of 1.008 over the past month. If he demonstrates his unique clutch ability along with his power-hitting capability, the weight of the lineup will change completely. If he is placed in the third spot, it can create an impressive synergy effect with Choi Hyung-woo, Na Sung-bum, Wisdom, Oh Sun-woo, and Kim Sun-bin.
The manager said, "Ollor and Do-young will return from next week. We should regain our momentum. We have lost to strong teams ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd during this time. Losing the first game by a small margin led to continuous losses. We need to ensure this kind of atmosphere doesn’t persist. Once everyone returns, I will make sure we can win by a small margin instead."
Meanwhile, the starting lineup for the day included Ko Jong-wook (left fielder), Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Oh Sun-woo (first baseman), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Na Sung-bum (right fielder), Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Wisdom (third baseman), Han Joon-soo (catcher), and Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder). Additionally, right-handed pitchers Kim Si-hoon and Han Jae-seung, who were acquired through a 3-for-3 trade the day before, were registered for the first team. They have been arranged as mid-game reinforcements and will be on standby in the bullpen. Rookie Park Jae-hyun was called up to fill the position left vacant by outfielder Choi Won-jun, who was traded.
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