Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyoung reacts to a play made by his team against the LG Twins during the clubs’ Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, in this Aug. 20, 2025, file photo. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
GWANGJU, Sept. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — With his club’s postseason chances slipping away with each mounting loss, Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyoung said Thursday he is really missing his injured captain Jeon Jun-woo.
The 39-year-old has not played since Aug. 5 with a hamstring injury. And during his protracted absence, the Giants have posted the worst record in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) at 5-19-3 (wins-losses-ties). They have fallen from third place, with a five-game lead over the fourth-place SSG Landers, to sixth place, now two games out of the fifth and final postseason spot with 12 games to go.
Jeon’s numbers don’t jump off the page, as he was batting .288 with seven home runs and 64 RBIs in 104 games before hitting the sidelines. But Kim said Jeon’s mere presence in the dugout and on the field could have really helped the young Giants through their tough stretch in ways that home runs and RBIs can’t.
“I think we’re clearly missing him, because we don’t have any other veteran player who plays regularly,” Kim said in his media availability before taking on the Kia Tigers at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, 270 kilometers south of Seoul. “We could really have used someone like him who can steady the ship for young guys when they struggle.”
Jeon is nearing his return. According to the Giants, Jeon on Thursday took part in his first full batting practice since suffering his injury.
eon Jun-woo of the Lotte Giants hits a single against the Kia Tigers during the clubs’ Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, 270 kilometers south of Seoul, in this July 6, 2025, file photo. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
“I’m getting close,” Jeon said. “I will try to speed things up and help the team over the remaining games.”
The Giants had a particularly rough two-game homestand in the southeastern city of Busan this week before arriving in Gwangju. They lost both games to the Hanwha Eagles by a combined 22-1 while committing seven errors.
After Wednesday’s 13-0 defeat, which included five errors by their four starting infielders, Kim put his team through some extra fielding drills.
Kim said he wasn’t necessarily trying to punish his players. Rather, he wanted to make sure lingering defensive issues would be addressed immediately so that they wouldn’t carry over to the next game.
The 21-year-old second baseman Han Tae-yang made two errors Wednesday and was held out of the starting lineup Thursday.
“Our infielders played like they were afraid the ball would come to them,” Kim said with a wry smile. “I don’t understand why they have to be so nervous. If you put on this uniform and take the field, you have to play like a professional and learn how to overcome those fears.”
(Yonhap)
