KIA hold king Jang Hyun-sik (28), who is recovering from elbow surgery, joins the second spring camp in Okinawa, Japan, and starts preparing for the season in earnest.
On the 18th (hereinafter Korean time), KIA coach Kim Jong-guk met with reporters at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, USA and announced, “Jang Hyun-sik will join the spring camp in Okinawa, Japan on February 26.”
Jang Hyun-sik, who was crowned the king of holds (34) in the 2021 season, got on the operating table in October of last year to remove a bone fragment in his right elbow and arrange a bone sprain. Despite elbow pain, he kept the back door of KIA with 34 matches, 2 wins, 3 losses, 1 save, and an average ERA of 3.12, but after the season, he underwent surgery and received 3-4 months of rehabilitation treatment and reinforcement training.
In fact, at the time of the surgery, Jang Hyun-sik’s joining the 2023 spring camp seemed unclear. In response, coach Kim also conceived of camp training while boldly excluding Jang Hyun-shik. However, with a faster-than-expected recovery, it was possible to join the second spring camp held in Okinawa, Japan from the 26th.
Manager Kim said, “(Jang Hyeon-shik) is now able to pitch in the bullpen. So I try to throw the ball in a warm place,” he said. “However, there is still a burden on the injured part. It’s just joining the training. If he overdoes it, he will have to go down again, so after recovering sufficiently, he will join the first team. A return is expected in late April or early May. He is working hard, so by then he will be able to come back,” he looked at.
Jang Hyun-sik’s speedy recovery is definitely good news. However, no matter how much you join the 2nd camp, a vacancy is inevitable스포츠토토 for a month after the opening in April. In front of Pil Seung-jo, Jeon Sang-hyun, and Jung Hae-young, a right-handed pitcher is needed who can handle an inning.
Manager Kim said, “There are many left-handed pitchers in the bullpen, but we need to balance left and right. It is impossible to line up left-handed pitchers in front of Jeon Sang-hyun and Jung Hae-young,” he said. “In the end, right-handed bullpen resources in the team must work hard until Jang Hyun-sik returns. Kim Seung-hyun, who has newly joined, also needs to show a better image.”
Jang Hyun-sik’s physical condition is also not yet at a stage where he can be optimistic about the future. Since he underwent a major surgery, he will need a lot of patience until he can show off the image of a hold king on the mound for the first team.
Director Kim said, “For Jang Hyun-shik, the Okinawa spring camp cannot be everything. He showed a cautious attitude, saying, “I have to practice in the future, and because I am a bullpen pitcher, I have to be able to fight at least.”