Hanwha Pil Seung-jo Kang Jae-min (26) finally gets on the operating table.스포츠토토
Hanwha coach Choi Won-ho said about Kang Jae-min, “Kang Jae-min has decided to undergo elbow surgery,” ahead of the game against KIA in the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ held at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on the 21st.
Kang Jae-min was canceled from the 1st team entry on the 6th due to pain in his right elbow, and is scheduled to undergo elbow ligament joint surgery on the 25th. He plans to proceed with his initial rehabilitation and join the military once the surgery is complete. If you undergo elbow ligament joint surgery, also known as Tommy John surgery, you will usually have to go through a rehabilitation period of more than a year. If Kang Jae-min undergoes surgery, there is a high possibility that he will not be included in the team next year anyway. Therefore, he can be seen as a move to solve the military problem at the same time as the surgery.
Coach Choi Won-ho said, “We tried to keep it going until the end of the season as much as possible, but in the end, we decided to have surgery. Kang Jae-min will undergo surgery and prepare for military enlistment,” adding, “It is difficult to go straight to the military because he has to undergo surgery and initial rehabilitation.” . Therefore, it is not yet known when Kang Jae-min will enlist. It is expected that whether or not he will be enlisted for active duty will be determined through a re-examination after surgery.
Jaemin Kang is in his fourth year as a professional. Kang Jae-min, who joined Hanwha in 2020, began to stand out in his first season as a professional, appearing in 50 games and pitching 49 innings, recording 1 win, 2 losses, 1 save, 14 holds, and an ERA of 2.57.
In 2021, he appeared in 58 games and played 63 ⅓ innings, showing off his status as a special winner with 2 wins, 1 loss, 5 saves, 13 holds, and an ERA of 2.13. At the time, he was mentioned as a candidate for the national team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but he ultimately failed to achieve his dream of making the national team. When Kang Jae-min was eliminated, public opinion agitated in various internet baseball communities, asking, “Why wasn’t Kang Jae-min selected?”
Last year, Jaemin Kang appeared in 56 games, pitched 51⅓ innings, had 4 wins, 8 losses, 7 saves, and 7 holds, and had an ERA of 4.21. This year, he appeared in 43 games, pitched 43⅓ innings, and recorded 1 win, 3 losses, and 12 holds, with an ERA of 6.44. It looked sluggish. The aftereffects of his elbow pain also had an impact on his poor performance this season. This year, he attempted to make the national team for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, but the situation was not favorable.
As a result, Hanwha was immediately faced with the task of securing new resources for the team to fill the void left by Kang Jae-min’s injury next year. Currently, Hanwha has Park Sang-won established as a closing pitcher, while Kim Beom-soo and Joo Hyun-sang are being used as sure-win cards, and recently right-handed pitcher Lee Min-woo has also transformed into a relief pitcher who throws short innings rather than a traditional starting pitcher or long relief pitcher.
Hanwha will play the remainder of the season with Kang Jae-min out for the season. Hanwha, currently ranked 8th with 51 wins, 67 losses, 6 draws (winning percentage .432), is chasing 7th place Lotte by 4.5 games. Hanwha, which is playing against 6th place KIA on this day, will feature starting pitcher Felix Peña and field Jin-young Lee (center fielder), In-ho Choi (left fielder), Si-hwan Noh (third baseman), Nick Williams (designated hitter), Eun-seong Chae (first baseman), and Tae-yeon Kim (right fielder). -The starting lineup consisted of Moon Hyun-bin (second baseman), Lee Do-yoon (shortstop), and Choi Jae-hoon (catcher).