“I played at 70 to 80 percent, and there was no pain at all”.
The 1.041 OPS slugger’s return to the first team is in sight.
Kim Dong-yeop (Samsung) was sidelined with a left quadriceps injury against the Daegu Lotte on March 15. Prior to that game, Kim had been hitting well, going 3-for-3 (10-for-30) with three home runs, eight RBIs, five runs scored, and a 1.041 OPS, but the unexpected injury put him on hold.
After a steady rehabilitation process, Kim stood on the Futures stage for the first time since his injury. In the Futures’ home game against Lotte at Gyeongsan Ballpark on June 26, Kim batted second and recorded a single in the first inning, a grounder to third base in the third inning, a ball hit to his body in the fourth inning, and a foul fly to third base in the seventh inning.
In a phone call with OSEN that evening, Kim Dong-yeop said, “Thanks to your help in the training part, I am recovering faster than expected. I’m grateful. Today, I focused on checking the current status of the injured area. I was running at 70-80% and there was no pain at all.”
There’s no concern about the feeling in practice. “I’ve been improving my senses through self-assessment and live batting. So I didn’t think I couldn’t see the ball today. It’s been about two weeks since I started batting practice, so I didn’t have any problems,” he said confidently.
“The batting coach told me to focus on getting the feel of the ball rather than hitting it,” he said, adding, “I will prepare well at the Futures so that I can go back up (to the first team) and hit well.”
On the day, Samsung’s first team fell to KT 1-4. Starter Yang Chang-seop pitched well with five innings and seven hits (one home run), one walk, three strikeouts, and three runs, but the offense couldn’t get going and took the loss. Kim Dong-yeop said, “It’s disappointing because we should have won. I’ll do my best to help the team,” he said.토토사이트
Catcher Kim Jae-sung, who injured his right side during an exhibition game against LG on March 26, was also in full practice mode. He was not included in the starting lineup, but wore a mask in place of Lee Byung-heon in the seventh inning. Kim was replaced by Jung Jin-soo in the eighth inning.
“Kim Dong-yeop and Kim Jae-sung will be called up to the first team as early as next week if there are no problems in this three-game series,” said Park Jin-man. “They are definitely helpful players for the team,” he added.