After hardship comes happiness. The core players of Doosan Bears who were sidelined due to injuries are gradually starting to return.
Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yeop met with reporters ahead of the first match of the season against the Samsung Lions in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League, to be held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 28th, and smiled, saying, "Only the injured players need to return."
Doosan is in a situation where its native ace Kwak Bin (internal oblique), winning pitcher Hong Geon-hee (elbow), and Lee Byung-hun (gastroenteritis) are out due to injuries. They urgently need pitchers who can handle the 6th and 7th innings ahead of Lee Young-ha and Kim Taek-yeon, and winning pitcher Choi Ji-kang, who has been slowly ramping up in the second team, is expected to return to the first team sooner than anticipated.
Manager Lee Seung-yeop noted, "(Choi) Ji-kang's recovery speed has improved a bit. Instead of live pitching tomorrow, he will play a practice game with a university team and is scheduled to participate in a Futures League game. It seems he might return a bit earlier, but his condition after tomorrow's pitching is crucial," he stated, adding, "It has been a long time since he last pitched, so he needs to try consecutive pitching and check his arm condition. We are approaching this cautiously."
"D盗Ru King" Jo Su-hyung, who suffered from a cold, joined the team that day and is looking to return to the first team on the 30th. Manager Lee Seung-yeop explained, "Jo Su-hyung has been training individually at Jamsil until yesterday, and he ran in spikes without any issues. If he performs normally in the Futures League game tomorrow, he will join the first team the day after."
Manager Lee Seung-yeop also conveyed the news that Lee Byung-hun, who has been suffering from gastroenteritis, resumed catching today, and he smiled with hope, saying, "Now only the return of the players remains."
Meanwhile, Doosan established its starting lineup against Samsung's starter Ariel Huardo, consisting of Kim Min-seok (left fielder), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Kang Seung-ho (third baseman), Jake Cave (right fielder), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Yang Seok-hwan (first baseman), Park Joon-young (shortstop), Lee Yu-chan (second baseman), and Jung Soo-bin (center fielder).
Kim Min-seok, who was rested and excluded from the starting lineup the previous day against the Suwon KT Wiz, returned, and Yang Eui-ji, who was the designated hitter, formed a battery with ace Cole Irvin at home.
Manager Lee Seung-yeop explained the reason for starting right-handed hitter Lee Yu-chan instead of left-handed hitter Oh Myung-jin against right-hander Huardo, stating, "Today is the day the first starter goes to the mound, so defense is crucial. As this is a significant game for the home opener, I thought Oh Myung-jin would be nervous, so I excluded him. I judged that having Lee Yu-chan start would be more beneficial."
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