Lotte Choi Jun-yong will return as early as mid-April → What if he didn't trade.. The role of Jung Cheolwon has gotten bigger.
Feb 25, 2025
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Choi Joon-yong felt uncomfortable with his elbow at the end of the first spring camp in Taiwan in early February. He returned home early and was diagnosed with a fine ligament damage after a detailed examination. They say it takes at least three weeks to recover.
It is different from the area where the surgery was performed last year. Choi Jun-yong stood tall as a key must-win group with a 2.45 ERA with 2 wins, 3 losses and 14 holds in 47 ⅔ innings in 2023. I went to the operating table in August because of shoulder pain in 2024. After that, he went through the rehabilitation process smoothly, but there was a slight setback ahead of the opening.
Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung said, `The fact that he's out for three weeks means that he can throw the ball after three to four weeks. I threw the ball at that time, so if it's okay, the schedule comes out. I threw a ball, but if I'm nervous, I need to rest more"It is difficult to outline a return right now."
In the best-case scenario, it can be expected to return in mid-April by taking another three weeks to resume pitching after three weeks, increase physical strength, increase the number of pitches, and even catch the sense of the game.
Lotte formed a must-win group with veteran Kim Sang-soo and Koo Seung-min in fastball pitcher Choi Joon-yong and Jung Cheol-won, centering on closer Kim Won-joong.
Manager Kim Tae-hyung said "(Kim) Sang-soo and (former) Seung-min are not the type to press batters with force. In spring, the type of pressing with a little ball tends to exert more power. He was somewhat concerned about Choi Jun-yong's departure.
At the same time, "In the end, Cheol-won (Jung) should do it." On top of that, young players such as Park Jin are now being arrested. We also need to see to what extent such friends can do it.'
Jung Chul-won is a pitcher acquired by Lotte through a trade with Doosan in November last year. Lotte gave up pitcher prospect Choi Woo-in to key outfielder Kim Min-seok and Choo Jae-hyun and brought Jung Chul-won and infielder Jeon Min-jae. Without this trade, Lotte would have faced a major crisis in the bullpen at the beginning of the season.
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Jung Cheol-won made a name for himself in Doosan. He was drafted by Doosan in the second round of the 2018 Rookie Draft. Jeong Cheol-won was crowned the 2022 Rookie of the Year. He pitched 72 ⅔ innings in 58 games, recording 4 wins, 3 losses with 23 holds and 3 saves with a 3.10 ERA. He also joined the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team. In 2023, he achieved 13 saves with 11 holds.
However, he fell into a slump in 2024. He played only 36 games and soared to an ERA of 6.40.
Jeong Cheol-won is "His physical condition is 100 points. Be best. I didn't throw a little ball last year. The results of the medical exam are all very good"Joyed. Jeong Cheol-won said "I went all the way to the national team while showing good performances, but I want to do well again. The idea is to go back to 2022. I think I'm a rookie again, and I want to bring it up from the camp and show it more."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
