'Yoo Gangnam to 2nd Division' Lotte, 'Development Catcher' Park Geon-woo and Han Dong-hee Suddenly Registered for 1st Division! Starting Catcher Mask Goes to Son Seong-bin → 'Reserve' Kim Dong-hyun Also Removed

*This content was translated by AI.

The Giants' choice to fill the void left by '8.0 billion won catcher' Yoo Gangnam (34, Lotte Giants) was 'home-field veteran from the development ranks' Park Geon-woo (23).

Lotte Giants removed catcher Yoo Gangnam, infielder Lee Ho-jun, and outfielder Lee Seo-jun from the 1st Division roster on the 15th, a day without games. Accordingly, on the 16th, outfielder Kim Dong-hyun was additionally removed due to reserve training and family leave.

Lotte, which embarked on a major roster cleanup, suddenly registered infielders Park Seung-wook and Han Dong-hee, outfielder Shin Yun-hoo, and catcher Park Geon-woo to the 1st Division roster before the game on the 16th.

The most eye-catching point is undoubtedly Park Geon-woo's surprise selection. A graduate of Jangchung High School and Korea University, Park Geon-woo, who was a development player, seized the opportunity for a KBO official player registration and immediate call-up to the 1st Division following Yoo Gangnam's departure, which made strengthening the catcher depth urgent for the team. The Lotte bench made a bold move by registering Park Geon-woo as an official player to ensure stability in the catching corps.

However, Park Geon-woo will not immediately take over the starting catcher role. For the time being, Son Seong-bin, who has recently shown good performance, is expected to be the primary starter. Park Geon-woo will remain on the bench, ready to be deployed in the later innings and fulfill a backup role. Park Geon-woo appeared in six games last season, recording 3 at-bats, 2 hits, and a batting average of 0.667. Although he was converted back to a development player ahead of the 2026 season, he has now been registered again as an official player.

Lotte set its starting lineup against SSG's starting pitcher Kim Min-jun as follows: Hwang Seong-bin (center fielder), Go Seung-min (second baseman), Reyes (left fielder), Han Dong-hee (designated hitter), Na Seung-yeop (first baseman), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), Park Seung-wook (third baseman), Son Seong-bin (catcher), and Jang Du-seong (right fielder).

Meanwhile, regarding Kim Dong-hyun, who was removed from the roster due to reserve training, Lotte's club explained, "Since he has already postponed reserve mobilization training twice, no further postponement is possible. He will be covered under the special roster application for family leave (KBO). The training schedule is from the 16th to the 18th."

With Yoo Gangnam, who suffered severe hitting slumps and was sent back to the 2nd Division after just three days, leaving a void, it remains to be seen whether Son Seong-bin, who will wear the starting catcher mask, and Park Geon-woo, who joined dreaming of a 'development player legend,' can inject new vitality into the sluggish Lotte catching corps.

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*This content was translated by AI.