The Doosan "son," why doesn't the manager turn a blind eye... The commander speaks directly

*This content was translated by AI.

This season, Doosan has seen young players grow and perform well. However, the team is not composed solely of young players. Veterans are also moving between the first division and minor leagues, injecting vitality into the team.

Among them, Son Ah-seop stands out. On April 14, he joined Doosan via a trade with Hanwha Eagles. At that time, Doosan acquired Son Ah-seop by paying Hanwha 150 million won in cash along with left-handed pitcher Lee Gyo-hoon (26).

Son Ah-seop has appeared in 36 games this season, posting a batting average of .256 (31 hits in 121 at-bats), one home run, two doubles, 12 RBIs, 11 runs scored, 11 walks, and 23 strikeouts. His slugging percentage is .298, on-base percentage is .311, and his OPS (on-base plus slugging) stands at .609.

He has not been a permanent fixture in the first division all season. After being removed from the first-division roster on April 29, he was called up again on May 14. Following another removal from the first-division roster on June 21, he was recalled to the first division on the 2nd.

Doosan currently has young position players such as Kim Min-seok, Park Jun-soon, Ryu Seung-min, and Ahn Jae-seok performing well on the field. However, this does not mean the commander is blindly ignoring veterans.

Son Ah-seop was registered in the first-division roster on the 2nd and started as the designated hitter in the No. 2 spot for the game against Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 3rd. He recorded one hit and one walk in three at-bats, achieving a multi-hit appearance.

On this day, Doosan manager Kim Won-hyeong, the team's commander, addressed Son Ah-seop's usage: "It would be good if he could stay active," adding, "I don't really like using the word 'competition.' Instead, there is a clear purpose for keeping (Son) Ah-seop on the team. While young players are performing well now, they cannot do everything."

He continued, "(Yang) Ui-jo and (Jung) Soobin are also veterans, as is (Park) Chan-ho based on their game appearances, but I don't consider them to be true veterans in terms of will or experience like Soobin. (Kang) Seung-ho is from a similar age group and falls into the same category." He emphasized, "Veteran players also need to play games, and I consider the team's balance to some extent."

Manager Kim stated, "I believe Ah-seop clearly understands this intention. While playing in these games, he should recognize that 'sometimes today's game is important.' I want to clarify that this is not a test. He is a player needed by the team. However, during slumps, there are times when he must sit on the bench out of necessity."

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*This content was translated by AI.