LG's Madang-soe confessed his feelings about elbow surgery, "I think it's a retreat for the progress → I'm not happy because I'm sick."

*This content was translated by AI.

LG Twins' "Madangsoe" right-hander Lee Ji-gang (27) eventually goes to the elbow surgery table and leaves his power. It was a season that was ambitiously prepared for the team's "two consecutive years of winning" along with entering the first billion-dollar salary in his life, but he was virtually out of the season after failing to overcome the wall of injury.

Ahead of the 2026 KBO League exhibition game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 24th, the LG club officially announced, "I received bone fragments in my right elbow and partial damage to my inner side."

According to the report, Lee Ji-gang has already completed surgery to remove bone fragments, which were the cause of the pain, and will undergo reconstructive surgery (Tommy John Surgery) to repair damaged ligaments on April 1. As the rehabilitation period usually takes more than a year, Lee Ji-gang's 2026 season ended as it is.

Lee Ji-gang confessed his feelings through his SNS immediately after the club's announcement. "It is heartbreaking to report bad news in an important season when the team is preparing for a repeat (a successive season win). As it's an operation performed by many players, I've been playing baseball thinking, "I'll do it someday," but I didn't know it would be this year, he said.

The offseason's efforts were great, which added to the regret. Lee Ji-gang has been preparing for the season more faithfully than anyone else by modifying the pitching mechanism after visiting Japan's training. But the body didn't follow. "I had a lot of expectations this season, but I didn't enjoy going to the mound because I had elbow pain," he said, honestly revealing the background of his decision to operate.

Finally, Lee Ji-gang said, "After consulting with the club, we decided on surgery to go in a better direction. I'll leave for a while thinking it's a one-step retreat for seven steps forward. I will come back healthy," he said, strengthening his will to rehabilitate.

Lee Ji-gang, who graduated from Sorae High School, wore an LG uniform with the 85th overall ranking in the 9th round of the 2019 rookie draft. After solving the military problem, he was converted to an official player in the 2022 season. In 43 games (47 ⅓ innings) in the previous 2025 season, he recorded one win, two losses and three saves with a 5.32 ERA.

Although he was not a must-win group, Lee Ji-gang completed the contract with an annual salary of 110 million won in 2026 season in recognition of the contribution of Madangsoe, who played the role of a chasing team or a long relief. It is naturally included in the first-team spring camp list and has prepared for a new season, but elbow pain seems to have caught Lee Ji-gang's ankle. Above all, Yeom Kyung-yeop (58), who values the mound depth, was likely to play an important role in baseball theory, but the 2026 season failed to take the mound.

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*This content was translated by AI.