"An Jae-seok needs a bit more time to watch" — Doosan breaks five-game losing streak; when will the full team be ready? Yang Eui-ji returns as No. 5 hitter and designated hitter [Jamsil on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

It still seems like a long way to go before we can see Doosan Bears at full strength.

On the 28th, Doosan announced its starting lineup for the home game against KT Wiz in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season, to be held at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium.

For today's lineup, Doosan arranged: Jung Soobin (center fielder), Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Park Ji-hoon (third baseman), Daz Cameron (right fielder), Yang Eui-ji (designated hitter), Kim Min-seok (left fielder), Kang Seung-ho (first baseman), Yoon Jun-ho (catcher), and Lee Yu-chan (second baseman). The starting pitcher is Kwak Bin.

Yang Eui-ji's return stands out after missing two consecutive starting lineups due to left ankle pain. Having appeared as a pinch hitter the previous day, Yang has shown strong batting form over his last 10 games with a .353 batting average (12 hits in 34 at-bats). Before the game, Doosan manager Kim Won-hyeong said, "Yang Eui-ji is in good physical condition. He will start as the designated hitter today, and by the weekend, he may also be able to play defense. The lineup change yesterday (27th) allowed him to move actively, which was positive."

Recently, Doosan has faced difficulties due to injuries among key players. The manager emphasized the need for solid defense. Manager Kim Won-hyeong noted, "After achieving a .500 winning percentage last week, we played three consecutive games in Daejeon, and there were issues with our defense. While batting performance can fluctuate, poor defense becomes a problem when we need to generate momentum in the later innings."

He added, "We have not been able to maintain a consistent lineup, so we need to wait for batting to stabilize. This year's pitchers have performed very well, but to convert that into wins, defense must support them. When batting is not working, we must focus on the fundamentals."

Currently, Doosan is without closer Kim Taek-yeon due to a shoulder injury, An Jae-seok due to a left thigh injury, and Park Jun-soon due to a right thigh injury. Manager Kim Won-hyeong stated, "Kim Taek-yeon has a rehabilitation schedule in place. He is expected to throw live pitches around the 3rd of next month, with games scheduled for the 6th and 8th. If there are no issues with his physical condition in those two games, he will be called up to the first team."

He continued, "Even if Taek-yeon returns, Lee Young-ha will continue to fulfill his current role. Taek-yeon will likely appear in one or two games to regain his rhythm. Lee Young-ha has been performing exceptionally well, and Taek-yeon also needs to regain his game feel. While we may decide after observing Taek-yeon's performance in the first team and consulting with the pitching coach, for now, I believe Lee Young-ha should continue as the closer even with Taek-yeon available."

An Jae-seok's return has been slightly delayed. Manager Kim Won-hyeong explained, "An Jae-seok should have returned by now, but after playing in the minor league, he experienced some issues with his lower back. He is currently hitting, but since he cannot play games, we need to monitor him a bit longer. I expect him to return sooner than Park Jun-soon."

After breaking their five-game losing streak the previous day (27th) with strong pitching from starting pitcher Wes Benjamin and aggressive base running, Doosan is once again relying on Kwak Bin's performance today. This year, Kwak has made 10 appearances with a 3-3 record, a 3.46 ERA, 54⅔ innings, 20 walks, and 66 strikeouts, serving as the team's primary starter. Against KT on October 10th last month, he pitched 6 innings with 4 walks and 9 strikeouts without allowing any runs, though he did not secure the win.

The opposing pitcher is Ko Young-pyo. This year, Ko has made 9 appearances with a 1-4 record, a 5.33 ERA, 49 innings, 8 walks, and 58 strikeouts, showing poor performance. This is his first appearance against Doosan this year. Last year, he went 1-0 in 3 games with a 2.70 ERA, while two years ago he had no wins in 3 games, finishing 0-3 with a 7.20 ERA, indicating inconsistent results in their head-to-head history.

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*This content was translated by AI.