Eight rookie players are included in the opening game roster for the 2025 season. Doosan Bears' native ace Kwak Bin and setup man Hong Geon-hee were both injured just before the opening.
The KBO announced the rosters of 280 players from 10 teams for the opening game scheduled for the 22nd. The opening games will include five matches: Suwon (KT-Hanwha), Jamsil (Lotte-LG), Gwangju (NC-KIA), Munhak (Doosan-SSG), and Daegu (Kiwoom-Samsung).
Among the 280 players this year, there are eight rookies. KIA outfielder Park Jae-hyun, Samsung pitcher Bae Chan-seung, LG pitcher Kim Young-woo, Hanwha pitchers Kwon Min-kyu, Jeong Woo-joo, Kiwoom infielder Kwon Hyuk-bin, Yeo Dong-wook, and outfielder Jeon Tae-hyun have all joined the first-team opening roster.
Among the players selected in the first round of this year's rookie draft are Hanwha's Jeong Woo-joo (second pick), Samsung's Bae Chan-seung (third pick), and LG's Kim Young-woo (tenth pick), totaling three players. During the exhibition period, Jeong recorded 2⅓ innings with one hold and an earned run average of 0 across three games. With LG's closer Yoo Young-chan and 5.2 billion won setup man Jang Hyun-sik injured, Kim Young-woo takes on the crucial task of securing the back end of the bullpen. Kim had an excellent performance in five exhibition games with five innings pitched, one hold, and an earned run average of 0.
Hanwha's opening roster includes first-rounder Jeong Woo-joo and second-round pick Kwon Min-kyu. Kwon made a strong impression in four external games (one start) from Melbourne, Australia, to Okinawa, Japan, with 5⅔ innings pitched, one hit allowed, one walk, seven strikeouts, and no earned runs. In exhibition games, he also appeared in three games, pitching 2⅔ innings with one hit, no walks, five strikeouts, and an earned run average of 0.
Kiwoom, which is clearly on a rebuilding path, will be without first-rounder Jeong Hyun-woo in the opening roster, but three rookies have joined the opening roster: third-round infielder Yeo Dong-wook, fifth-round infielder Jeon Tae-hyun, and seventh-round infielder Kwon Hyuk-bin. Yeo Dong-wook made a strong impression by hitting two home runs in exhibition games, while Jeon Tae-hyun hit one.
Meanwhile, Doosan will be without its native ace and key bullpen players. Native ace Kwak Bin complained of left side pain immediately after pitching in a Futures League game against Goyang on the 19th during his final checkup before the regular season, and examinations revealed damage to the internal oblique muscle.
Hong Geon-hee also experienced right elbow pain during pitching practice on the 16th, and examinations revealed damage to the medial collateral ligament in the right elbow. A Doosan official noted, "Both Hong Geon-hee and Kwak Bin are scheduled for re-examination in early April."
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