Will he play in a comeback game against his former team?

LG Twins pitcher Jang Hyun-sik is expected to return to the first team in time for the game against his former team, the KIA Tigers. LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop noted during a press interview before the game against NC at Changwon NC Park on the 28th that Jang Hyun-sik's return will be slightly delayed.

Initially, Jang Hyun-sik planned to pitch four games in the second team before coming up. On that day (28th), he made his third appearance in the second team. He will rest on Saturday and, if he pitches his fourth appearance on Sunday, he will return next Tuesday.

However, manager Yeom Kyung-yeop was cautious. He said, "I will see how he does after pitching on Sunday. There is a high probability he will pitch one more time before coming up," and added, "I think it would be better for him to pitch in a wider place like Jamsil rather than Suwon." He is planning to return for the KIA game at Jamsil from April 4th to 6th rather than the KT game in Suwon from April 1st to 3rd.

Yeom noted, "He must come up in good condition. If he comes up quickly in bad condition and gets hit by the batters, it will be much more detrimental to the team. That’s very scary. If he goes out once or twice and gets hit, the recovery time will be longer. Then he has to go back to the second team again. That’s burdensome. He wants to come up quickly, and if he pitches well, it’s good, but if it doesn’t go well again, it may take longer. So I intend to delay it at least once more," expressing his intention to have him pitch one more time in the second team after the planned four games.

Yeom explained, "The desire of a manager is to want to do it more safely. After all, he is my best card. If it goes wrong, it will ultimately give the team immense difficulty, so I cannot do it according to the player’s desire."

Jang Hyun-sik, who suffered an ankle injury during spring training in Arizona in mid-February, completed rehabilitation and made his first appearance in the Futures League. He pitched in a game against the SSG Landers at the SSG Futures Field on the 20th, allowing 2 hits, 1 home run, and 2 earned runs in 1 inning. In his first appearance, his maximum fastball speed was only 142 km/h, and his control and all aspects were disappointing.

Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop did not include Jang Hyun-sik in the opening roster, stating, "I will call him up after he pitches about four games in the second team to increase his velocity."

On the 22nd, Jang Hyun-sik pitched in a practice game against Dankook University, recording 1 inning, 1 strikeout, and no earned runs. Manager Yeom mentioned, "His velocity has increased a bit. Maximum speed was 145 km/h, with an average of about 144 km/h."

Following that, he pitched against the Goyang Heroes in the Futures League on the 25th, recording 1 inning and a perfect inning. His maximum fastball speed reached 143 km/h.

On the 28th, Jang Hyun-sik pitched in a Futures League game against the Hanwha Eagles at Ichon LG Champions Park, recording 1⅓ innings, 1 hit allowed (1 home run), and 1 earned run. His fastball speed peaked at 143 km/h, marking his first multi-inning appearance.

Jang Hyun-sik took the mound with 2 outs and a runner on first base in the 7th inning, trailing 2-4. He ended the inning by getting Heo In-seo to hit a pop fly to the third baseman. He also pitched in the 8th inning, where he allowed a home run that went over the left-center fence to Jung Min-kyu after getting to 2 balls and 1 strike.

# Jang Hyun-sik's pitching log
March 20th, Futures League against SSG, 1 inning, 2 hits allowed, 1 home run, 2 earned runs, maximum speed 142 km/h
March 22nd, Practice game against Dankook University, 1 inning, 1 strikeout, no earned runs, maximum speed 145 km/h
March 25th, Futures League against Goyang, 1 inning, 1 strikeout, no earned runs, maximum speed 143 km/h
March 28th, Futures League against Hanwha, 1⅓ innings, 1 hit allowed, 1 home run, 1 earned run, maximum speed 143 km/h

[OSEN]