Wiz manager heartened to see return of injured pitchers

SUWON, South Korea, One by one, starting pitchers that hit the sidelines for the KT Wiz are returning to action.

Manager Lee Kang-chul can’t wait for the day when he will finally have a fully healthy rotation.

“It’s been a tough couple of months, trying to get by without so many starters,” Lee told reporters Tuesday in a pregame scrum before hosting the Hanwha Eagles at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul. “Our relievers are running on fumes. But they just have to stick it out for a couple more weeks and we’ll be in better shape.”

The Wiz have been known for starting pitching depth in recent years, but their once-vaunted rotation has been decimated by injuries this Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season.

Right-hander So Hyeong-jun, former Rookie of the Year winner, is still working his way back from Tommy John elbow surgery from last year. Ko Young-pyo hit the injured list in April with some elbow issues. Wes Benjamin took himself out of a game on May 12 after complaining of elbow pains.
Um Sang-back missed a turn in the rotation in mid-May because of fatigue.

That left William Cuevas as the only regular member of the rotation for a while. Lee had to turn to untested rookies Weon Sang-hyun and Yook Chung-myoung to hold down the fort and eat up some innings.

But that will change soon. Benjamin is scheduled to return Tuesday evening. Lee said So will make two more rehab starts in the minors before rejoining the Wiz in a couple of weeks. Ko is on a similar timeline.

Lee tried to temper his optimism, saying it won’t be until after the All-Star break in the first week of July that his rotation will be back in full.

“Hyeong-jun and Young-pyo will only throw a couple of outings on pitch count, and then we’ll hit the All-Star break,” Lee said. “Hyeong-jun has been dealing with some stiffness around his elbow after pitching. So we’ll have to monitor his condition as well.”

The Wiz’s batters have been holding up their end of the bargain while starting pitchers have been on the mend. The Wiz open t
he new week in seventh place at 26-31-1 (wins-losses-ties), three games out of the fifth and final postseason spot.

Breathing down their neck are the Eagles, now 1.5 games back. The Eagles will play their first game under new manager Kim Kyung-moon on Tuesday, hoping the midseason managerial change will spark a push toward their first postseason appearance since 2018.

Kim, who last managed in the league in 2018, is the oldest manager in the KBO at 65. Lee, 58, has fallen to No. 2 in the hierarchy.

“I don’t mind it. I suppose I can stick around a bit longer now,” Lee said with a smile. “It’s great to see him back, though.”

Asked about their exchange, Lee said, “I told him it’d be great if we can both go to the postseason.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency