'Rookie in the .100s' Oh Jae-won used as leadoff hitter; '5th-place' Hanwha is in no rush "Because you worked hard" [Busan on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

"There is no special reason. You have worked hard until now."

Kim Kyung-moon (68), manager of the Hanwha Eagles, explained as much regarding his decision to give rookie Oh Jae-won (19) another chance as the No. 1 hitter. While it is true that he is a player who must be developed, the decision is possible because, unlike when the team was in the lower ranks, the club now has some mental leeway.

Hanwha will face the Lotte Giants in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League away game at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium on the 6th.

On this day, Hanwha arranged its batting order as follows: Oh Jae-won (center fielder), Yonatan Peraza (designated hitter), Moon Hyun-bin (left fielder), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Kim Tae-yeon (first baseman), Heo In-seo (catcher), Lee Do-yoon (second baseman), Lee Jin-young (right fielder), and Sim Woo-jun (shortstop).

A graduate of Yushin High School, Oh Jae-won received high expectations that he would be an immediate asset in the professional league after winning the Baseball Star Award at the Futures Star Awards last year. He signed with Hanwha as the third overall pick in the first round of this season's draft. Although he made the opening day roster and has never been sent down to the minor league, his performance has fallen short of expectations. In 49 games, he hit .171 (12 hits in 70 at-bats). While he successfully stole three bases without any failures, his effectiveness was halved as he struggled to get on base.

Consequently, he had to cede the No. 1 hitter role to Lee Won-seok and Lee Jin-young. However, a slight change occurred in the lineup. Kang Baek-ho, the 'RBI leader' who has been anchoring the Hanwha lineup as the No. 4 designated hitter, was removed from the starting lineup due to discomfort in his left hamstring.

Manager Kim emphasized the previous day, "He always says he is fine, but if he gets injured again, it could take several months. Would the manager want to use him? When players are slightly injured, resting well allows them to recover fully and perform better. But if they are rushed into action for a single game and get injured, they could lose a month."

Although they have risen to 5th place, they are being chased by the 6th-place team with a mere 0.5-game difference. Since they have not yet reached the halfway point, they cannot afford to be complacent and must strive to aim higher.

However, this is precisely why they do not intend to be impatient. On this day, Manager Kim excluded Kang Baek-ho from the starting lineup. When asked before the game whether Kang Baek-ho would be used only as a pinch hitter for the rest of this week, he replied, "That would be better. They have played about 50 games so far. There are still many games left. If they rest well until Monday, it will be good for next week. They should come out when they are not injured and feel comfortable to maintain good condition."

With Kang Baek-ho out, the designated hitter spot can be utilized strategically. In the previous two games, they gave the opportunity to Yu Min, who was called up after hitting powerfully in the minor league, but on this day, they assigned the defensive burden to Peraza. This allowed Oh Jae-won to take a spot in the outfield.

Regarding Oh Jae-won's deployment, Manager Kim stated, "There is no special reason, but he has been hitting at the No. 1 spot in the early part of the season and then got benched, so he worked hard and earned this chance. I hope he performs well today."

Lee Jin-young and Lee Won-seok have also been experiencing some ups and downs recently. The thinking is that giving Oh Jae-won a chance could also serve as motivation for them.

His thoughts on Yu Min, who had started for two consecutive days, were similar. The 2022 rookie Yu Min made his debut immediately after being called up on the 4th, recording no hits, yet he started again on the 5th and even recorded his first career hit.

Manager Kim said, "If you work hard in the minor league, we are always watching here. If your performance is good, you will get opportunities. I think it is fortunate that he got a hit. It will also send a message to the minor league to keep working hard."

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*This content was translated by AI.