On March 31, the Lotte Giants replaced Jeon, Jung Sung-jong, Choi Yi-joon and Lee Ju-chan as nurturing players. What stood out the most was Jeon Mir, who received Lotte's first nomination in the rookie draft in 2024.토토사이트

Although it was short last year, Jeon had huge impact. Having caught the eye of coach Kim Tae-hyung from the spring camp, Jeon displayed impressive performance at exhibition games and proudly made the entry for the opening game. By banking on his fastballs exceeding 150 kilometers and curves, he got off to a good start by allowing no run in all four games in March.

And Jeon Mir raised expectations by pitching seven consecutive scoreless games, including continuing the flow of March until early April. In particular, Lotte had difficulty managing the mound from the beginning of the season, with both the starter and the bullpen collapsing, and Jeon Mir's pitching was like a welcome rain in a drought, and naturally, the number of games taking the mound began to increase when Jeon Mir was important.

Jeon Mir became a must-win group with a record of 1-1 with 3 holds and an ERA of 4.63 in 13 games in April, and he showed some ups and downs in May, but continued his excellent performance with 2 losses, 2 holds, 1 save and an ERA of 5.40 in 13 games. However, as his performance and pitching began to decline noticeably due to frequent appearances, Jeon Mir was removed from the first team as a break after recording 2 losses and an ERA of 14.40 in 7 games in June.

However, he did not take any further turns. After checking his physical condition while down to the second team, he was found to have a lot of fatigue in his right elbow. Jeon sought to return to the team after receiving injections, but failed to return to the first team as time passed did not ease his discomfort in his elbow. After the end of the season, Jeon was scheduled to undergo surgery.

At the time, a Lotte official said about Jeon Mir, "It was not serious from the doctor's point of view, but there was some damage to the elbow ligament. He said, "Rehabilitation is enough," but Jeon Mir himself felt uncomfortable, so he underwent surgery. The rehabilitation period is 6 months because his elbow condition was not serious. If he recovers quickly, he may come back faster."

However, with six months of rehabilitation and a chance to return to the mound in the second half of the year, Jeon Mir suddenly became a nurturing player. This seemed to indirectly suggest that Jeon may not be able to return to the mound sometime this season. However, Lotte's consideration was hidden behind Jeon's transition to a nurturing player.

Jeon Mir, who had a reputation as an "adductor" until high school, is the first to be injured. In particular, the player who made a huge impact from the beginning of his debut season was put on a big surgery table as soon as he wore a professional uniform. As the degree of injury was not serious, it may not take longer to return than the usual Tommy John surgery, but Lotte took such measures to prevent Jeon Mir from becoming impatient or overworking himself with the goal of returning to the first team.

A Lotte official said, "There are cases where some players come back after six months of elbow surgery. In particular, because the player is young, he might be able to come back faster because he is recovering well. However, we cannot hurry to come back after setting a fixed period of time. A player who has played in the first division wants to come back sooner," adding, "The reason is so that he can complete all rehabilitation procedures without rushing."

Jeon Mir is a resource that can be of great help on the mound anytime. However, we cannot make a decision that can greatly influence a player's career for the sake of his team's immediate performance. That is how much Lotte values Jeon Mir's talent. Jeon may be regretful that he has been selected as a nurturing player right now. However, he needs to look further into the future than in the near future. For now, it is more important to recover his elbow condition to prevent injury even if he throws the ball with all his might on the mound for several years to come, rather than rushing to return to the mound.