'Oh no!' Samsung on high alert as Kim Young-woong's hamstring injury recurs; Park Jin-man: "We are waiting for an accurate medical opinion at this time"

*This content was translated by AI.

A true "bad news" has reached the Samsung Lions. Kim Young-woong (23), a "key infielder" who was fine-tuning his game readiness ahead of his return from injury, has been forced to stop again due to suspected recurrence of a hamstring injury.

Samsung manager Park Jin-man stated at a meeting with reporters on the 7th ahead of the Kiwoom Heroes game to be held at Daegu Samsung Lions Park that, in response to a StarNews inquiry about Kim Young-woong's condition, "He has been experiencing discomfort in his hamstring, so we conducted a detailed examination (imaging) today."

Previously, Kim Young-woong started as the fifth batter in the Futures League NC Dinos game held at Masan Baseball Stadium on the 6th. It was his first official game since the removal of his injury designation on the 21st of last month, played after a two-week break.

His condition appeared good. In his first at-bat in the bottom of the second inning, he hit a double down the left-field line, proving he had no issues with his game readiness. However, the Samsung bench suddenly replaced Kim Young-woong with pinch-hitter Jo Se-ik before his second at-bat in the fourth inning. It was eventually revealed that pain was the cause. Kim Young-woong was also removed from the Futures League roster effective the 7th.

Manager Park Jin-man is currently monitoring the situation with caution. The manager said, "We need to hear the opinion from a hospital in Seoul first. The attending specialists are undergoing surgery, so the accurate results are expected to come out around tonight or tomorrow."

The particularly concerning point is the location of the injury. Regarding the injury site, the manager stated, "It is in the hamstring area. It is said to be slightly lower than the original injury site," and added, "We need to check it thoroughly."

In addition, Kim Young-woong's return as a "power-hitting prospect" was expected to be the finishing touch that would bring Samsung's offensive power to its peak. However, the unexpected recurrence of the injury has caused significant disruption to Samsung's infield operations and lineup planning. Kim Young-woong was evaluated as Samsung's starting third baseman this season. However, in 10 games this season, his record has not been particularly good, with a batting average of 0.171 (7 hits in 41 at-bats) and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.429. He had been playing in the Futures League after resting due to a hamstring injury.

Kim Young-woong's "heroic return," which was highly likely to occur in the NC game on the 10th, is expected to be postponed for the foreseeable future. Depending on the examination results, Samsung's infield planning for the season will inevitably require major revisions.

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*This content was translated by AI.