'Three-game losing streak' Lotte calls up Na Seung-yeop and Yoon Dong-hee for starting lineup! 'Official conversion' Jo Min-young demoted after just one game

*This content was translated by AI.

Lotte Giants ultimately abandoned their principle of "returning after a perfect rebuild" and suddenly recalled rookie batters Na Seung-yeop (24) and Yoon Dong-hee (23) to the first division. This move is interpreted as manager Kim Tae-hyung's (59) agonizing gamble to escape the three-game losing streak that began with the start of the second half. Both players immediately secured spots in the starting lineup upon their return. Meanwhile, outfielder Jo Min-young (21), who had recently been converted to a regular player and stepped onto the first division stage, was demoted to the Futures League after just one game.

Ahead of their away match against Samsung Lions at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 19th, Lotte made adjustments to its roster. They removed outfielder Jo Min-young from the first division roster and called up Na Seung-yeop and Yoon Dong-hee, who had been undergoing re-adjustment.

The most notable move was Jo Min-young's demotion. Jo, who joined the first division following his recent conversion to a regular player and drew high expectations, started in the the 18th match against Samsung at Daegu but remained hitless in three at-bats. He reached base only once thanks to an opponent's error, realizing the steep wall of the first division. Ultimately, amidst the team's urgent need to break its losing streak, he received the disappointing news of demotion after just one game.

With time running out, Lotte immediately placed the two recalled players in the starting lineup. On this day, Lotte arranged the top of the order with Hwang Sung-bin (center fielder), Go Seung-min (second baseman), Reyes (left fielder), and Han Dong-hee (designated hitter), then added weight to the middle of the lineup by placing Na Seung-yeop (first baseman) at fifth and Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder) at sixth consecutively. Han Tae-yang (third baseman), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), and Son Seong-bin (catcher) anchored the bottom of the order, while Kim Jin-wook took the mound as the starting pitcher.

Just three days prior, on the 16th ahead of the Samsung match at Daegu, manager Kim Tae-hyung's stance when meeting with reporters was very cautious. Manager Kim had previously made a cold assessment, stating, "For Yoon Dong-hee and Na Seung-yeop to return to the first division, they must show their best form."

At that time, Manager Kim revealed that he had directly monitored the Futures League (second division) broadcast and pointed out, "There is no significant difference compared to before." Regarding Na Seung-yeop specifically, he even said, "He still cannot chase pitches properly." The calculation was to keep them in the second division until clear signs of rebound appeared rather than making a hasty call-up.

However, as the team fell into a three-game losing streak immediately after the start of the second half and the atmosphere plummeted sharply, it appears Manager Kim's plan changed. To revitalize the infielders' morale and strengthen the batting lineup, he made the decision to bring up the two players faster than scheduled and place them directly in the middle of the order.

In this 2026 season, Yoon Dong-hee recorded a .231 batting average (37 hits in 160 at-bats), four home runs, and 12 RBIs in 47 first division games, while Na Seung-yeop managed a .228 batting average (38 hits in 167 at-bats), five home runs, and 27 RBIs in 48 games before being excluded from the first division roster on the 6th for re-adjustment.

Currently, Lotte is in a situation where veteran core batters who should anchor the lineup, such as Jeon Jun-woo and Yoo Gangnam, are absent, making it urgent to have players break through the batting line's deadlock. Although the two players have not yet fully reached the "optimal condition" demanded by the manager, the team has no choice but to place its hopes on their potential.

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*This content was translated by AI.