'WBC aftermath was this bad?' Only Lee Jung-hoo and Jones survived MLB → Witcom, Dunning, Ko Woo-seok, and Kim Hye-sung 'failed to open'

*This content was translated by AI.

The main players who achieved the feat of advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time in 17 years in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) suffered one after another in the opening entry of their team, Major League Baseball (MLB). The price of passion burned with the Taegeuk mark seems to have affected the "big league survival competition." Only "captain" Lee Jung-hoo (28, San Francisco Giants) and Korean outfielder Germai Jones (29, Detroit Tigers) survived the opening roster.

With the Major League schedule opening on the 26th (Korea time), starting with the San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees showdown, the regular league schedule will begin in earnest on the 27th. Against this backdrop, only two of the six players from the Major League Baseball team who were listed on the Korean national team at the WBC were listed in the opening entry (26).

Lee Jung-hoo was the unquestionable 'Sangsoo'. Although he did not fully play the spring camp due to his participation in the WBC, he showed off his robustness by making the opening lineup as San Francisco's undisputed starter, No. 5 hitter and right fielder. Although he failed to add a hit in the game on the 26th, he was placed in the central lineup and received high expectations.

Germai Jones, who joined the tournament as a Korean player and had one home run and two RBIs, also continued his momentum by entering his team Detroit's 26-man entry. Although the batting average in the exhibition game was sluggish at 0.190, it was crucial that his performance in the WBC impressed his team's coaching staff.

On the other hand, other highly anticipated Korean resources eventually failed to cross the threshold. Houston Astros infield prospect Shay Witcom (28) and Seattle Mariners Dane Dunning (32) failed to join the opening entry and started the season in the minor leagues.

In particular, Dunning played his second consecutive career in the national team, but unfortunately did not receive a major league call-up. While away from the WBC, Witcom also gave up its main position to its competitors, swallowing regret.

The situation of Ko Woo-suk (Detroit) and Kim Hye-sung (LA Dodgers), who received great attention from domestic fans, is even more painful. Kim Hye-sung was pushed out of the depth competition due to the team's situation that boasts an ultra-luxury lineup. The lack of batting adjustment time due to the participation in the WBC has been hampered. "Promising owner" Alex Freeland (25) received a call-up instead. Ko Woo-seok, who was seeking a comeback in Detroit with a minor league contract, also failed to play in the opening game in the Major League.

Except for Lee Jung-hoo and Jones, four players are now in a position to wait for a big league call once again in the minor leagues. Attention is focusing on whether they will be able to shake off the aftermath of the WBC and regain the prestige of the "Korean Big Leaguer" in the middle of the season.

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*This content was translated by AI.