The ace with 11 super-emergency wins, 28 home runs and a big hit also returns home...The early stages of the race will be divided

Feb 27, 2025

The Samsung Lions team left for Guam, where spring camp was set up, through Incheon International Airport on the morning of the 22nd. Kim Young-woong is talking to his colleagues while waiting for the departure process. Incheon Airport = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.1.22/

The core pitching and hitting power came back to Korea. Last-minute injury warnings have been issued to 10 club spring camps.

The Samsung Lions recently returned home with two key players injured during spring camp. Samsung announced on the 26th that Denny Reyes will return to Korea on the 27th due to pain in his right foot.

Reyes, who has been training at the Okinawa spring camp in Japan, felt pain in his right foot after pitching two innings as a starter in his own Cheongbaek match on the 22nd. As a result of an MRI examination at a local hospital, he was found to have a suspected metatarsal micro-fatigue fracture, and he decided to enter Korea for a detailed examination again. It is expected to be able to estimate exactly how long the recovery period will be needed after receiving a checkup in Korea.

On top of that, the key hitter Kim Young-woong has already returned home. It was belatedly revealed that Kim Young-woong returned home on the 22nd. Kim Young-woong complained of bruising his right rib during defensive training, and it is judged to be a bone bruise, which is the pre-fracture stage.

데니 레예스. Sports Chosun DB

Kim Young-woong, who has stopped technical training at Okinawa camp since the 11th, is currently in rehabilitation training at Gyeongsan Ball Park after returning home, and is expected to know the exact timing of his return after undergoing an additional re-examination early next month.

Samsung has already returned to Korea with an elbow injury during the camp even pitcher Kim Moo-shin (Kim Yoon-soo's name in the game). Kim Moo-shin, who returned to Korea due to pain in his right elbow, is forced to undergo surgery after detailed examinations at four hospitals in Korea found ligament damage. The camp is not even over yet, but considering the rehabilitation period after surgery, it is actually out of the season.

Samsung's injury has continued. Ace Reyes, who played a key role in the starting rotation last year, renewed his contract with 11 wins, 4 losses and a 3.81 ERA in the 2024 season. This season, along with Ariel Furado, Won Tae-in and Choi Won-tae, he is also a player who needs to be at the center of the rotation, but the opening schedule was also disrupted by injuries at the end of the camp.

박진만 감독. Sports Chosun DB

Kim Young-woong, who grew from a prospect to a key hitter by hitting 28 home runs last season, is suffering from the aftermath of his injury after the end of the 2024 season. After the Korean Series schedule, he was called up to the national team of 'Premier 12' but was dropped due to shoulder pain, and he was dropped out of the camp due to a rib bruise.

The injury of key players at the end of the season is a factor that causes a major setback in preparation for the opening. Samsung, which finished second in the regular season and runner-up in the Korean Series last year, is considered to be capable of challenging the championship that could threaten the KIA Tigers the most this season as well.

However, with the exhibition game just around the corner, key pitching players are continuing to leave the injury. This is a part that can shake the game at the beginning of the opening even if you look at the league as a whole. Not only Samsung, but all teams should be wary of major injuries at the end of the spring camp, where players' fatigue has accumulated. It can ruin a year's farming plan.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.