Chronic shoulder dislocation → canceled all game appearances' 20-year-old shortstop ends up on the operating table.
Jaehyun Lee, who showed symptoms of left shoulder dislocation throughout the season, was examined at the hospital on the 16th and was diagnosed as needing surgery for habitual dislocation. Jaehyun Lee, who is scheduled to undergo surgery at a hospital in Seoul on the 23rd, is expected to take at least four months to return after rehabilitation.
Lee Jae-hyun, who graduated from Seoul High School and started his professional career after being selected in the first round by Samsung last year, recorded a batting average of .233 (54 hits in 230 at-bats), 7 home runs, 23 RBIs, and 23 runs in 75 games in his first year of debut.
In particular, he hit the most home runs among the rookie hitters from the 10 teams he joined last year. He also ranked second in the club's history for home runs among first-year high school graduates, following Lee Seung-yeop (13) in 1995.
Lee Jae-hyun succeeded in being selected as a member of the opening team and continued to have opportunities to play, but on May 31, he was expunged from the first team due to pain in his right thigh. He returned to the first team stage ahead of the game against Changwon NC on July 3, but left the field for a while due to an injury to his right thumb during the game against Hanwha in Pohang on July 27.
Looking back on his first year of debut, Lee Jae-hyun said, "Playing on the first team stage made me work harder because I wanted to continue playing (in the first team). (As it was my first year as a professional) I tried not to worry too much about my personal performance. I kept talking about it, but the most important thing was getting injured. “It’s unfortunate,” he said. He also emphasized, "I felt that if he loses concentration even a little, he could get hurt at any time," and added, "The most important thing is to play full time without injury."
Lee Jae-hyun played an active role as the starting shortstop this season, appearing in 143 games and leaving behind a batting average of .249 (114 hits in 458 at-bats), 12 home runs, 60 RBI, 61 runs, and 5 stolen bases. His batting indicators have improved noticeably, including his first triple-digit hits and double-digit home runs in his debut. In particular, in the month of August, he showed off his fierce batting ability with a batting average of .305, 7 ri (20 hits in 56 at-bats), 3 home runs, and 12 RBI.
Manager Park Jin-man, who had a reputation as a representative shortstop in Korean baseball to the point where he earned the title ‘National Shortstop’ during his active career, said of Lee Jae-hyeon, “It’s amazing that a second-year shortstop is doing as well as he is. “He has become much more skilled and seasoned than last year,” he said with a happy smile.
He continued, “There will be some physical strain as I play many games this season, but I am overcoming it well and building my own career well. He added, “It is not easy for a second-year player to show such stable play, but Jae-Hyeon Lee continues to grow.”
Director Park Jin-man also said, “I was not as experienced as Lee Jae-hyun in my second year. “He was very nervous, and Lee Jae-hyun is much better than me.”