The foreign pitcher of the Samsung Lions, Denny Reyes, who returned early from the 2nd camp in Okinawa, Japan, due to an injury to his right foot, took the mound in the Futures League to boost his game sense.
Reyes started in the home game against the KT Wiz on the 25th at Gyeongsan Ballpark, pitching 2⅓ innings, allowing 5 hits, 1 walk, and 3 runs. Out of a total of 42 pitches, 29 were strikes.
The start was shaky. In the first inning, Reyes allowed 1 run on consecutive hits from Yoo Jun-kyu, Ahn Hyun-min, and Lee Ho-yeon. He induced Lee Seung-hyun to pop out to the third baseman for the first out. Soon after, he dominated Kang Min-seong, striking him out on three pitches. Although he walked Kim Jun-tae, he closed the first inning by handling Kim Gun-hyung with an infield pop-up.
In the second inning, Reyes retired Jang Jun-won, Kang Hyun-woo, and Yoo Jun-kyu in order with just 6 pitches. In the third inning, after one out, he faced consecutive hits from Lee Ho-yeon and Lee Seung-hyun. Faced with a crisis with 1 out and runners on 1st and 3rd, he handed the mound over to Kim Yoo-hyun. Afterward, Kim Yoo-hyun allowed consecutive RBIs to Kang Min-seong and Kim Jun-tae, increasing Reyes's earned runs to 3.
Meanwhile, Reyes, who debuted in the KBO League last year, accumulated an 11-4 record with a 3.81 earned run average over 26 games. He particularly shone in the fall stage, allowing just 1 earned run in 20⅔ innings over 3 postseason games, with an earned run average of 0.45.
Samsung re-signed Reyes under conditions of a signing bonus of $200,000, an annual salary of $700,000, and incentives of $300,000.
Manager Park Jin-man noted that Reyes, in his second year, "definitely has gained confidence compared to last year. He knows how to pitch his own ball through big game experience. Unlike last year's camp, he seems more relaxed."
Reyes finished his assignment by completing 2 innings in an internal evaluation match held on April 22 at Akama Ballpark in Okinawa, Japan.
After completing his pitching, Reyes felt pain in his right foot and underwent a thorough examination at a local hospital, which suggested a stress fracture in the right metatarsal. Consequently, Reyes boarded a flight to Korea on the 27th.
At that time, a club official stated, "Due to the limited time left in the camp schedule, after returning early on the 27th, we plan to establish a treatment plan at Seoul Sejong Sports Orthopedics for an expedited return schedule."
Reyes underwent additional examinations at two domestic hospitals on the 28th of last month. The results indicated that bone healing was progressing better compared to the diagnosis from the Japanese hospital.
A club official reported, "There is a possibility of temporary pain due to increased exercise volume, so after two weeks of treatment to assess pain relief, Reyes's training schedule will be arranged."
Reyes has since been steadily going through the rehabilitation process, and following his first real pitching appearance since his injury, he is expected to participate in the weekend three-game series against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Stadium starting on the 28th.
[OSEN]