Kiwoom seeks alternative foreign pitcher! "With Wyse out for six weeks, possibility opens for Park Jun-hyun to start"

*This content was translated by AI.

Kiwoom Heroes' starting rotation is in crisis. With foreign pitcher Wyse facing an unavoidable long-term absence due to injury, the club has launched a reorganization of the mound, including the recruitment of an alternative foreign player.

Kiwoom manager Seol Jong-jin (53) stated on the 21st, ahead of the game against NC Dinos to be held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul, regarding Wyse's condition after being removed from the roster due to shoulder discomfort, "We received a medical report indicating that pitching will be impossible for about six weeks." As Wyse's absence extends, the club has immediately begun searching for an alternative foreign pitcher.

First, domestic starter Park Jun-hyun is emerging as the top candidate to fill Wyse's vacancy. For the 21st game against NC Dinos, Oh Seok-ju is scheduled to start, and Kim Yeon-ju is set to start on the 23rd. The starter for the 26th game remains undecided. Manager Seol Jong-jin stated, "Park Jun-hyun has completed a certain level of starter preparation by pitching around five innings and 80 pitches in the Futures League recently. We have not yet decided on the starter for the 26th game. We plan to decide after reviewing today's game and assessing factors such as Oh Seok-ju's pitching performance and the overall pitching staff composition."

The bullpen, responsible for securing the game in the later innings, is also seeking stability through role adjustments. In the existing system where Yuto pitched the 8th inning and Kim Jae-woong the 9th, Yuto will now take the closer role (9th inning), while Kim Jae-woong will move to the setup man role (8th inning). Manager Seol stated, "Yuto's velocity has recovered significantly, and he is delivering powerful pitches. After consultation with the coaching staff, we decided to deploy Yuto, who can overpower batters with his strength, in the final inning."

Finally, regarding the normalization of the starting rotation, Manager Seol said, "An Woo-jin and Bae Dong-hyun are each returning to the starting rotation, and Jo Young-geon is also targeting a return in early May. If we can hold on well for the next one to two weeks, the mound should find stability."

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*This content was translated by AI.