When Kim Seong-yun returned, Park Seung-gyu was injured. Why does the injury curse bother only Samsung?
The professional baseball team Samsung Lions are preparing for their fourth meeting of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League season against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 28th. It is the first game of a three-game weekday series.
Against Doosan starter Kwak Bin, Samsung set the starting lineup as Kim Ji-chan (center fielder), Kim Seong-yun (right fielder), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Lewin Diaz (first baseman), Ryu Ji-hyeok (second baseman), Kim Heon-gon (left fielder), Jeon Byung-woo (third baseman), Yang Woo-hyun (shortstop) and Kang Min-ho (catcher). The starting pitcher is ace Ariel Jurado. The first-team roster registered Lee Seong-gyu and Kim Seong-yun, and removed left-hander Lee Seung-hyun and Ryu Seung-min.
Kim Seong-yun injured muscles on the left side of his torso while fielding in the outfield during the KT Wiz game in Suwon on the 4th and devoted himself to rehabilitation for more than three weeks. After recovering, he tuned his game in a Futures League game against the LG Twins on the 27th, going 0 for 2 with one walk and one run, and on that day he was finally called up to the first team. Before the injury he was riding an upswing with a .385 batting average and six RBIs in seven games.
At the site on the 28th, Samsung manager Park Jin-man said, "Kim Seong-yun rested well. He had no particular problems in yesterday's Futures League game either. Our hitting has been sluggish overall, so Kim Seong-yun has to inject some energy. That's why he is playing right away. Lee Seong-gyu also had no physical issues, so we called him up," he said with a pleased expression.
But he could not smile entirely. On the day Kim Seong-yun returned, Park Seung-gyu was left out of the lineup due to injury. Manager Park Jin-man sighed, "After the Kiwoom game on the 26th, Park Seung-gyu said his lower back felt uncomfortable. He rested yesterday, but he still feels discomfort, so it seems difficult for him to play. We have to monitor his condition until tomorrow."
The skipper tried to overcome the current situation by emphasizing the power of positivity despite the string of injured players. Manager Park Jin-man said, "I think injured players will return going forward, so things won't get worse than they are now," and he added, "Koo Ja-wook will begin technical preparations starting next week, and Kim Young-woong will start technical training from this weekend. At the latest by mid-May the injured players will all be back and we'll be able to operate at full strength. Then a powerful lineup will be formed, so things will get better."
Meanwhile, Manager Park Jin-man said he had designated rookie Jang Chan-hee as the fifth starter and revealed this week's starting rotation. Starting with Jurado on that day, the week will be covered in the order of Jack O'Loughlin, Choi Won-tae, Won Tae-in, Jang Chan-hee and Jurado. After the weekday Doosan series, Samsung will welcome the Hanwha Eagles in Daegu over the weekend.
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