The wind blows again to the San Francisco Giants' lineup. Lee Jung-hoo (27) has returned to the starting lineup after overcoming sudden back pain.
Lee was included in the starting lineup for the exhibition game of the 2025 Major League Baseball (MLB) against the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California on Monday morning (Korea time). The San Francisco Giants deployed Lee as the third center fielder. It is the first time in 10 days that Lee started as an exhibition game since last Friday.
Lee Jung-hoo, who has shown good batting performance since the beginning of the exhibition game, was expected to be a key hitter in San Francisco this year. Then, he suddenly disappeared from the game after playing against the Texas Rangers on the 14th. It turned out that it was because of a sudden back pain. After the game against Texas, I slept and woke up, and I felt severe pain in my back and back.
The back pain, which was expected to heal quickly because there was no special injury situation, did not easily subside. Coach Bob Melvin also worried on the 18th that "his condition is not getting better." Eventually, when Lee Jung-hoo's condition did not improve, San Francisco began a "special management." He was asked to undergo a detailed examination, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), followed by a follow-up treatment by his team doctor Dr. Kenneth Akazuki.
Fortunately, the result of the detailed examination was good. The San Francisco Giants announced on Wednesday that no special abnormalities were found in the MRI examination on Lee's back. The San Francisco Chronicle also reported that the MRI examination on Lee's back showed no structural damage. He will continue his rehabilitation and will not be absent for long periods of time.
Even after this diagnosis, Lee did not immediately return to the actual game. He still had pain, and the San Francisco Giants carefully scheduled Lee to return. As he was classified as a key player in the team, he carefully sought to return to the team. 메이저놀이터
In the end, after waiting four to five more days, Lee Jung-hoo's return match was decided on the 24th. The return to the game against Sacramento is quite meaningful. If Lee Jung-hoo shows strong performance at bat and defense on the day, chances are high that he will start the opening game. In the end, this game can be seen as a touchstone to check Lee's health.
Lee Jung-hoo had a batting average of 0.300 (9 hits in 30 at-bats) with two home runs and five RBIs in exhibition games before his back pain occurred. His goal this year is to complete the full-time season, which he failed to achieve last year. Lee Jung-hoo started as the starting member since the opening game of last year, the first season of MLB, but ended the season early due to shoulder injury and surgery that occurred in May.