'278-Home Run Veteran' as a .100 Hitter, Commander's Decision to Send 'Kim Jae-hwan' to the Minor Leagues: "There's No Problem, He Just Couldn't Overcome It" [Daejeon Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

"I saw him unable to make his own swing, just making contact."

Lee Sung-yong (55), manager of the SSG Landers, made a decisive move. He decided to give the veteran power hitter Kim Jae-hwan (38), who was brought in ahead of this season, time to get his form back.

On the 27th, a day off, SSG removed Kim Jae-hwan from the first-division roster. On that same day, they called up Ryu Hyo-seung (30) to fill the vacancy.

Ahead of this season, Kim Jae-hwan signed a two-year contract worth a total of 2.2 billion won with SSG. Despite playing at Jamsil Stadium, which has the largest outfield in the KBO League, and having won the home run championship while establishing himself as a representative power hitter of the league, Kim had recently been experiencing a clear decline.

He decided to make a fresh start with SSG, which plays at the SSG Landers Field, known as a hitter-friendly park, after moving away from the challenging Jamsil Stadium for batters. Although there were some controversies during the transfer process, Kim needed to regain his confidence along with new motivation, and ultimately he mustered the courage to make the move.

Perhaps because expectations were high, the sense of disappointment was also significant. In the 24th games since the season opener, he managed only a .110 batting average (9 hits in 82 at-bats). It wasn't even a matter of home runs; he struggled to make contact at all. The game on the 26th proved to be the turning point.

Manager Lee Sung-yong met with reporters ahead of the visiting game against Hanwha Eagles at Daejeon Hanwha Life Eagles Park on the 28th for the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League, explaining, "We kept checking on him, and I saw him unable to make his own swing, just making contact. The most important thing is that he is the player who has hit Oh Won-seok's pitches the best over the past three years, so I started him that day, but he couldn't make his swing at all. Seeing that, I thought, 'Ah, he's having a hard time.' I had felt this way before, but because he is a veteran, I judged that he could overcome it and pushed him through. I had thought in my heart that I would watch him for at least 100 at-bats, but I decided it would be better to establish himself in the minor leagues, so after the game, I spoke with Jae-hwan and decided to give him time."

There is also consideration to clear his mind for now. "I told him to rest for a few days. It doesn't seem like he can fix it right away, so I told him to rest fully for about three days, then do a little cleanup, and start slowly," he said. "It would be best if he returns in about ten days, but if not, it seems like taking enough time is also a method. If he comes up again and experiences ups and downs, Jae-hwan will have a harder time then."

The conclusion is that he must overcome it himself. Manager Lee stated, "Looking at his mental state, balance, and his swings during practice, there doesn't seem to be any problem, but he still seems unable to overcome it. His mind and thoughts are a bit complicated, and I can't do anything about that part. He has to overcome it himself. Since he made that choice to come to our team from Doosan, he must have had many thoughts about needing to do better. I think that may have been suppressing him a bit. Even as a veteran, he is human. It would have been good if he had buttoned up the first button well, but he couldn't. I don't think it's too late now, so I believe he will establish himself well and return."

He also offered advice to minimize his burden as much as possible. Manager Lee added, "Since the season has started, I told him to just reset comfortably. You have a lot to do here. And everyone, including me, the coaches, and the players, is waiting for you, so I told him to come back having done it perfectly."

On this day, SSG lined up Park Sung-han (shortstop), Jeong Jun-jae (second baseman), Choi Jeong (third baseman), Guillermo Heredia (left fielder), Han Yu-seom (designated hitter), Kim Sung-wook (right fielder), Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder), Oh Tae-gon (first baseman), and Lee Ji-young (catcher) in that order. Starting pitcher Choi Min-jun will take the mound.

With Kim Jae-hwan out of the lineup, the usage of the designated hitter has become even more significant. On this day, Han Yu-seom will rest from fielding. Manager Lee said, "Now, we plan to use (Choi) Jeong and Heredia as designated hitters depending on the situation."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.