'How could this happen?' Starting pitcher Jang Hyun-sik, with a 3.80 ERA, sidelined due to elbow injury... at least 3 weeks out... 'Futures League ERA 0.93' 1R hard-throwing rookie 'finally' called up to first division

*This content was translated by AI.

Another blow has struck the LG Twins, who have now fallen into a six-game losing streak. Jang Hyun-sik (31), who had shown promising form after transitioning to a starting role, will be sidelined due to an elbow injury.

An LG club official stated on the 23rd ahead of the Jamsil NC Dinos game: "Jang Hyun-sik experienced discomfort in his right elbow and underwent an examination at Sejong Sports Orthopedics on the 23rd. The diagnosis was a strain of the right elbow flexor muscles, with a follow-up exam scheduled for two weeks later. It is expected to take about three to four weeks before he can return to pitching."

This year, Jang Hyun-sik confirmed his potential as a long reliever and, after switching to a starter, posted a 2-1 record in five games with a 3.80 ERA, demonstrating steady performance. Considering that he had recorded a 5.85 ERA in 21 relief appearances through May and even spent time in the minor leagues, this turnaround has been remarkable.

The situation was so dire for LG's starting rotation that just two days ago, they replaced foreign reliever Yacel Rioz (33), who had thrown a fastball clocking up to 161.7 km/h, for reasons other than injury. Jang Hyun-sik's absence is therefore even more painful.

Rioz, who joined as a replacement foreign player in June, has not been able to display overwhelming dominance, recording 1 win, 2 losses, 5 holds, and 2 saves in 14 games with a 3.63 ERA over 17⅓ innings, allowing 7 walks and striking out 17 batters.

The starting rotation was too unstable to be trusted blindly. Since July, Anders Tollhurst has struggled with a 5.73 ERA in two games, Lachlan Wells posted a 5.06 ERA in three games, and Im Chan-kyu recorded a 7.71 ERA in three games. As a result, the foreign relievers became an unwanted burden.

Ultimately, LG took the drastic step of urgently calling up Carlos Kara-Sco (39), a current active starting pitcher and former MLB wins leader, the day before. According to an LG club official, Kara-Sco is scheduled to arrive in Korea on the 24th to complete visa-related procedures. However, with another hole opening up in the starting rotation even before Kara-Sco makes his debut, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop's concerns have deepened.

For now, hope rests on a hard-throwing rookie to fill Rioz's vacancy. On this day, LG removed Jang Hyun-sik from the first division roster and called up rookie Yang Woo-jin (19). Yang Woo-jin is a right-handed pitcher who graduated from Suwon Sin-gok Elementary School, Suwon Buk Middle School, and Gyeonggi Aviation High School before being selected as the 8th overall pick in the first round of the 2026 KBO Rookie Draft.

He was mentioned as a top-1 overall candidate after throwing a fastball reaching 153 km/h, but a stress fracture that occurred just before the draft pushed him down to the 8th pick. LG changed its plan to select a position player and instead drafted Yang Woo-jin, earning praise for the move as a brilliant pick.

So far, it has been a successful call-up. Following surgery for his stress fracture, Yang Woo-jin began participating in official games in earnest from June under a strict rest and development plan. In 7 Futures League games, he posted a 0.93 ERA over 9⅔ innings, allowing 5 walks (4 free passes and 1 hit by pitch), striking out 4 batters, and holding opponents to a .156 batting average against. According to an LG club official, his top velocity has reached 153 km/h, leading to evaluations that he is approaching the arm strength he was once touted for as a potential top-1 pick.

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*This content was translated by AI.