"At least 3 months of rehabilitation" Lotte Independent League surprise star 'finish' collapsed... Park Chan-hyung, right palm fatigue fracture surgery

*This content was translated by AI.

Lotte Giants infielder Park Chan-hyung (24) will eventually be on the operating table.

Lotte club said on the 24th, "Park Chan-hyung will undergo surgery at Cheongdam Leon Orthopedic Surgery on the 25th due to a right palm injury he suffered during training immediately after camp. As a result of the examination, the right palm was found to have a fatigue fracture, and the recovery was found for about three months."

This is a bad news after confirming the No. 1 spot in the exhibition game. Lotte won the previous day (23rd) and confirmed the top spot in the 13th exhibition game regardless of the remaining results of the game. It was an achievement even though some of the main players were absent, raising expectations for the regular season.

However, Park Chan-hyung, who was expected to play a role as an infield utility this year due to his surprise performance last year, left and was unable to laugh.

Park Chan-hyung is a unique case that solved the military problem immediately when he was turned away from the KBO rookie draft after graduating from Jungje Elementary School, Unbuk Middle School, and Baejae. After being discharged from the military, he gained hands-on experience through independent league teams Yeoncheon Miracle and Hwaseong Coreyo, and made his name in TV entertainment fireworks baseball.

It wasn't until May last year that he joined Lotte as a nurturing player. Despite not receiving much expectation, he became a surprise star with a batting average of 0.341 (44 hits in 129 at-bats), three home runs, 19 RBIs, 21 runs and one stolen base, and a on-base percentage of 0.419 slugging percentage of 0.504.

During the spring camp, expectations were raised as an infield gap was created due to the departure of some players, but fans felt sorry as they collapsed due to injuries before the start.

Meanwhile, as Park Chan-hyung was able to return to the game only at the end of the first half, Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung's plan for third base also changed. Son Ho-young, who was preparing to convert to the outfield, is expected to keep the third base, and veteran infielder Kim Min-sung's chances to play are expected to increase a little more.

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*This content was translated by AI.