Right-handed pitcher Lee Min-seok (20), a promising fastball who was highly anticipated as a member of the Lotte Giants this season, is on the operating table.
The Lotte club announced on the 7th that 먹튀검증“Lee Min-seok will undergo surgery to remove a bone fragment in his right elbow and reconstruct ligaments at Cheongdam Leon Hospital in Seoul on the 14th.” Pitchers are familiar with the so-called ‘Tommy John surgery’. In the case of pitchers, it usually takes a year or more of rehabilitation.
The Lotte club said, “The full-fledged rehabilitation period, including weight training and interval pitching programs, is 10 months.”
Lee Min-seok, who graduated from Kaesong High School and joined Lotte as the first choice last year, is expected to throw a fastball with a maximum speed of 155 km.
Last year, his first professional year, he showed potential by digesting 33⅔ innings in 27 games, recording 1 win, 1 loss, 5 holds, and an average ERA of 5.88. This season, as his control was evaluated to be more stable, he raised expectations as a sure-win group for the Lotte bullpen.
However, the wishes of Lee Min-seok and the club did not come true. Lee Min-seok took the mound in the regular season opener against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Stadium on the 1st and pitched 1⅓ scoreless innings. However, he voluntarily gave up on the mound, complaining of elbow pain.
On the 3rd, Lee Min-seok was diagnosed with damage to his right elbow ligaments as a result of the first examination at Good Samsun Hospital, a hospital designated by the club. On the 6th, he received the same findings at Cheongdam Leon Hospital in Seoul, and was eventually put on the operating table.