Choi Joon-yong, 23, a pitcher for the Lotte Giants of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), is finally going under the knife. The future of the Lotte mound is at stake.
On June 6, Choi will undergo shoulder surgery on his right shoulder at Cheongdam Leon Orthopedic Center in Seoul. The decision to go under the knife was made to cut to the root of the shoulder pain that has been plaguing Choi since he joined the team as a first-round pick in 2020.
The club said, “Due to persistent shoulder pain for many years after joining the club, injections and physical therapy have not been effective. The player himself was under a lot of stress due to the pain,” the club said, explaining the reasoning behind the surgery, adding, “Although it is possible to play through rehabilitation treatments such as injections and physical therapy, we decided that surgical treatment is necessary for the player’s future in the long term.”
The rehabilitation period is expected to take about four months.
The hope is that he will be healthy enough to participate in spring training next year, but there is no immediate timetable for his return due to the pitching-sensitive area of the shoulder. There are several cases of pitchers who have undergone shoulder surgery and have not regained their previous form. It’s safe to say that Lotte’s future plans on the mound are riding on this surgery.
Choi’s strength was his powerful fastball, which reached over 150 kilometers. It has strong rotation and vertical movement. In 2021, when he went 4-2 with one save and 20 holds in 44 games with a 2.85 ERA, he was able to overpower opponents with his fastball alone. When healthy, Choi’s fastball was an elusive weapon for hitters.
Until the beginning of this season, 카지노사이트 추천 Choi’s breaking ball was surprising big league hitters. In March, as a member of Team Korea, Choi threw his fastball up to 92.7 miles per hour (149.2 km/h) in exhibition games leading up to the MLB’s inaugural Seoul Series, topping out at 2592 revolutions per minute and averaging 2522. He struck out superstar Manny Machado to end the game, and he was just as dominant in the regular season. However, his form was inconsistent and his throwing patterns varied from game to game.
It was a struggle for Choi to throw with minimal discomfort.
Choi’s shoulder pain was no stranger to him, but his focus on it led to injuries in other parts of his body, including his back and lower back. Even when he reached 20 holds in 2021, he returned from rehabilitation with a torn subscapularis muscle in his shoulder.Choi Jun-yong decided to undergo surgery after much consideration after being cut from the first team roster on June 3. Coach Kim Tae-hyung said, “I went back and forth with the training part. He said he was going to rehabilitate, then he said he was going to have surgery, then he changed his mind again… I think we had a lot of conversations because he wasn’t sure what was right for him,” Kim reflected.
Choi’s time has come to a halt. For now, the bullpen gap is unavoidable. The new faces, including Kim Sang-soo and Koo Seung-min, as well as Park Jin Kim, Kang-hyun Kim, and Song Jae-young, will have to step up.
Choi Jun-yong remains the future of the Lotte mound. He is also undeniably the centerpiece of the future plan. It’s a risky surgery, but if the root of the problem is removed, he can come back healthy and throw the ball again. Choi Jun-yong himself will have to undergo the surgery and work hard and diligently on his rehabilitation. The future of the Lotte Mound depends on Jun-yong Choi being healthy and throwing fastballs without any more worries.