I felt the director's touch. Wasn't everything meaningful contained in there?

The Lotte Giants, struggling with a batting slump, made roster changes ahead of their home opener against the KT Wiz at Busan's Sajik Stadium on the 28th.

On this day, Lotte called up infielders Kim Min-seong and Lee Ho-jun, catcher Son Seong-bin, and outfielder taxes to the first team. Instead, infielders Park Seung-wook and Choi Hang, and outfielders Lee In-han and Hwang Seong-bin were removed from the first team. Hwang Seong-bin was excluded from the roster due to a left thumb sprain.

Lotte managed only 1 win and 4 losses in the opening five-game series against LG and SSG. They scored only 10 runs in five games, averaging 2 runs per game. Most of the batting measures ranked at the bottom.

Ultimately, they made roster changes to shift the atmosphere before the home opener. The player drawing attention is undoubtedly Kim Min-seong. He was excluded from the first team spring camp this year and prepared for the season in the second team spring camp. He also did not participate in any exhibition games. However, he exhibited impressive batting performance while working diligently in the second team, boasting a .455 batting average (10 hits in 22 at-bats), 2 home runs, 5 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.450 over 8 games.

Manager Kim Tae-hyung explained, "There is no player swinging the bat well in the first team right now. So, Kim Min-seong, who has been performing well in the second team, has been called up. Also, he has performed decently against left-handed pitchers, so we decided to make a change." On this day, Kim Min-seong will start as the No. 8 second baseman. This marks Kim Min-seong's first appearance in a first team game since June 12, 2024, against Kiwoom in Sajik, after 289 days.

Before the game, Kim Min-seong told reporters in an interview, "I started in the second team camp, but no matter where I prepared, I consistently aimed to help the team." He added, "Thanks to the second team coach and the coaching staff, I have done a lot of training. Although the training volume was high, I am grateful that they treated me like the younger players. Since I trained so much, I don't have significant issues maintaining my condition."

He was also able to refresh his mindset. He said, "Training in the second team was very enjoyable. I was feeling a little down, but living with the younger players gave me a lot of energy," adding, "Thankfully, the younger players treated me comfortably. I asked them to treat me as a fellow player, and they did, so I had a very enjoyable and good experience."

Regarding his return to the first team after a long time, he stated, "Coming back to the first team is always a pleasant and exciting thing. Since it's been a while, I'm a bit nervous, but I consider this nervousness to be a good kind. I believe it will help during the game."

With the team's atmosphere being subdued, Manager Kim Tae-hyung could not help but have high expectations. Before training on this day, Kim Min-seong approached Manager Kim Tae-hyung to greet him, and the manager patted Kim Min-seong on the back. There were no other special words exchanged.

He said, "For now, I will try to meet expectations. Whether good results will come or not will depend on how it goes, but since there is a lot of time left in the season, I plan to take things step by step and try to adapt. I aim to be helpful so that good results can come as the atmosphere turns positive," laughing as he added, "The manager patted me on the back once; I think all meaning is contained in that gesture. I felt the director's touch."

Last year, Kim Min-seong drew attention for slapping Manager Kim Tae-hyung’s fist hard right after a home run. He joked, "At that time, it must have hurt a lot since his knuckles hit the guard. From now on, I will aim to slap fists properly," adding, "Anyway, if I come home a lot, that would be good, so I will work hard to make that happen."

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