'AG representative team also selected' June ERA 9.69 national team left-hander faces risk of being excluded from rotation... "If it doesn't improve, we can remove him"

*This content was translated by AI.

National team left-hander Oh Won-seok (25, KT Wiz) is showing signs of significant slump. He is at risk of being excluded from the starting rotation.

KT manager Lee Kang-cheol, ahead of the match against Suwon KIA Tigers on the 20th, sighed about Oh Won-seok's recent struggles, saying, "It would have been a relief if he had at least dipped and bounced back. Right now, he's just flat. If it continues, we may have to remove him from the starting rotation."

Oh Won-seok is a left-hander who was traded one-for-one from SSG Landers to KT along with Kim Min (27) after the 2024 season. After wavering for five years since his 2020 first-division debut, he posted a career-high season last year with KT, recording 11 wins, 8 losses, and a 3.67 ERA in 25 games.

In particular, he recorded 10 wins, 3 losses, and a 2.78 ERA in 16 games during the first half of the season, appearing to finally break out. However, in the second half of last year, he managed only one win (with five losses) in nine games with a 5.62 ERA, leading to criticism that he failed to resolve his chronic stamina issues.

Oh Won-seok himself made continuous efforts, including attempting to increase muscle mass through weight training after the 2025 season ended. As a result, in April this year, he posted a 2.22 ERA in five games with a fastball reaching speeds up to 150 km/h and heavy pitch movement.

The joy was short-lived; by May, he began to lose strength again. Of the eight games where he pitched six or more innings since May, only the May 8 match against Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok was successful. Manager Lee Kang-cheol even took measures such as removing Oh Won-seok from the first-division roster and giving him a ten-day rest.

It was completely ineffective. He returned on June 7 against Incheon SSG Landers, but the number of games with heavy runs allowed increased, with a 9.69 ERA over three games. In the most recent match on the 19th against Suwon KIA, his fastest pitch reached only 145 km/h.

Some point to the absence of his primary catcher, Jang Sung-woo (36), as a factor. However, the manager cited Oh Won-seok's own lack of improved pitch movement as the primary reason.

Manager Lee said, "Oh Won-seok may have a good fit with (Jang) Sung-woo, but his pitch movement itself is not good. Last year, he at least lasted through the first half before crumbling, but this year he collapsed before the first half even ended. I wonder if the bulk-up was unnecessary."

If Oh Won-seok continues to struggle, there are concerns about the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Korean national baseball team, led by manager Ryu Ji-hyun (55). Oh Won-seok was selected for the final roster announced on the 11th, alongside his teammates So Hyoung-jun (25) and Park Young-hyun (23).

Being selected for the Asian Games team, which offers military service exemptions if a gold medal is won, was also Oh Won-seok's goal for this season. In response, Manager Lee also left a bitter joke, saying, "Should we just remove (Oh) Won-seok entirely and let him rest until September?"

For KT, which is in a fierce race for first place, Oh Won-seok's rebound is essential. Ace Caleb Boshly (33) has been sidelined for at least six weeks due to shoulder pain since the 2nd, causing KT's pitching mound to waver. Although So Hyoung-jun returned on the 18th, KT's mound ERA for June remains precarious at 5.18 (9th in the league).

For now, KT is pinning its hopes on replacement foreign pitcher Logan Allen (29), who will take the KBO League mound for the first time in a while on the 21st. Allen, a temporary foreign pitcher replacing Boshly, signed a six-week contract with KT for a total of $125,000 (approximately 190 million won) on the 12th. Allen previously recorded 7 wins, 12 losses, and a 4.53 ERA in 32 games with NC Dinos last year.

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*This content was translated by AI.