Kiwoom Heroes’ Lee Jung-hoo will undergo ankle surgery, effectively ruling him out for the rest of the season. However, he could still make it to the major leagues next year.
Lee started in center field as the No. 3 hitter in the away game against the Lotte Giants at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 22nd, but he felt pain in his left ankle while fielding in the bottom of the eighth inning and voluntarily left the game. It was said that the injury was serious, and it was.
Kiwoom announced the results of Lee’s medical examination on the 24th. Kiwoom revealed that Lee Jung-hoo was diagnosed with a left ankle extensor ligament injury after undergoing a detailed examination including MRI and X-ray at CM Hospital and Sejong Sports Orthopedics.
The ligament is a damaged membrane that wraps around the ankle tendon and requires suturing surgery for treatment. Lee plans to schedule the surgery after further examination at Sejong Sports Orthopedic Center on the 25th, and said that the rehabilitation period after the surgery is about three months. He said it could change depending on the speed of his recovery, but in three months, he will not be able to participate in the Hangzhou Asian Games, let alone the regular season. He is effectively out for the season.
Lee suffered a severe batting slump at the beginning of the season, but has since bounced back to become the centerpiece of the team, batting 3-for-1 with 105 hits, six home runs, and 45 RBIs.
The injury was unavoidable, and now it’s just a matter of getting healthy again. But it’s likely to be in the major leagues.
Lee is hoping to make it to the major leagues through the posting system after this season. Due to an unexpected injury, he was unable to finish the season and had 113 days of registration this season, which is short of 150 days, but fortunately, he has enough registration for the seventh year of the KBO League to reach the major leagues.
This is because he has accumulated a lot of points through international tournaments. Lee has been a regular starter since 2017, his debut year. Only in 2018 did he miss 141 days due to injury, and he had five years until last year. He also has a lot of international tournament points. He earned 10 points for being the APBC runner-up in 2017 and 60 points for qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics with his runner-up finish at the 2019 Premier12. Lee also earned 10 points for his fourth-place finish at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and 10 points for his appearance at the WBC in March, bringing his international points total to 90. Split that between 2018 and this season, and you’ve got seven full seasons.
The concern is that this injury could be a barrier to his major league career. It could even lower his price tag in contract negotiations. It’s best if he returns before the end of the season to show that he’s healthy, but for now, it’s important that he returns to full strength.
For now, it’s likely that Lee’s final KBO game will be against Lotte on April 22. His RBI single to right field in the top of the seventh inning against Lotte’s Kim Jin-wook may be his last at-bat. 토토사이트