'Loss-assigned' 5.2 billion won fully guaranteed LG FA, demotion to minor league to promotion to rotation: A dramatic reversal! Today (17th), his first start in 2,059 days

*This content was translated by AI.

This is a dramatic reversal for an FA pitcher who had been relegated to loss-assigned duty. LG Twins right-hander Jang Hyun-sik (31) will take the mound as a starting pitcher for the first time in six years.

LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop announced on the 16th, ahead of the Gwangju KIA Tigers game, "Jang Hyun-sik will start tomorrow (17th). He will throw around 60 pitches."

Jang Hyun-sik signed a four-year, 5.2 billion won FA contract with LG after the 2024 season. At the time, the deal attracted attention as a groundbreaking contract for a relief pitcher, with a signing bonus of 1.6 billion won and a total salary of 3.6 billion won, both fully guaranteed. He was highly praised for his ability to lead KIA to a championship title in 2024 and for his multi-inning capabilities.

The first year of the contract was disappointing. An injury sustained during spring training affected him throughout the season. He recorded 3 wins, 3 losses, 5 holds, and 10 saves in 56 games, with an ERA of 4.35 and 38 strikeouts in 49⅔ innings. Contributing to LG's championship title, albeit minimally, was a source of comfort.

Despite his determination this year, the results were equally disappointing. After Yoo Young-chan underwent elbow surgery, he was expected to serve as the closer. However, in May, he endured his worst month with an ERA of 12.00 in 7 games.

In a situation where he had been relegated to loss-assigned duty, his appearance in the Changwon NC Dinos game on the 5th became the turning point. Jang Hyun-sik entered the game from the bullpen and held the opposition scoreless for a remarkable 4 innings. Later, in the Jamsil SSG Landers game on the 11th, he delivered a scoreless 4⅔ innings of pitching, moving beyond the role of long relief and emerging as a potential substitute starter. In the last two games, Jang Hyun-sik, alongside left-hander Kim Yun-sik (26), served as a 1+1 bulk-up guy, filling the five starting pitcher spots.

When reporters asked Manager Yeom whether Jang Hyun-sik and Kim Yun-sik could potentially take full responsibility for games as starting pitchers in the future, he replied, "We are asking them to come out alone. They will rotate through the starting rotation, and when Song Seung-gi returns, the one among Lee Jeong-yong and Kim Yun-sik who performs worse will be removed from the starting rotation."

After Yoni Chirinos was replaced, the LG starting rotation rotated in the order of Anders Tolhurst-Song Seung-gi-Im Chan-kyu-Lachlan Wells. Currently, Song Seung-gi is out due to left shoulder issues and poor performance, and the spot is being filled by a bullpen day. With two starting spots vacant, the manager viewed Jang Hyun-sik as a fourth starter candidate, ahead of Kim Yun-sik and Lee Jeong-yong.

The Gwangju KIA game on the 17th is expected to be a watershed moment in determining Jang Hyun-sik's future role. For Jang Hyun-sik, this will be his first start since the Gwangju KT Wiz game on October 27, 2020, when he was with KIA, marking 2,059 days since his last start.

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*This content was translated by AI.