San Francisco said in a press release on the 18th (Korea Standard Time) that “Lee Jung-hoo was recommended for a ‘shoulder surgery’ through Dr. Neal Elatrache, whom he met in LA. He will undergo a structurally damaged left shoulder joint and net suture surgery,” adding, “This ended Lee Jung-hoo’s 2024 season.”
The San Francisco Giants distributed a press release and moved Lee from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Players who need surgery and long-term rehabilitation will be placed on the 60-day injured list. In a nutshell, Lee cannot return in the near future.
Lee Jung-hoo signed a six-year, $113 million (about 153 billion won) contract with San Francisco last winter and succeeded in entering the Major League. However, he collided with an outfield fence while making a jump catch to catch a home run hit by Jaymer Candela Rio during defense in the top of the first inning of a home game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, on the 13th.
After collapsing on the ground, Lee complained of pain and couldn’t get up for a while. Before the injury, Lee played in a total of 37 games this season, posting a batting average of 0.262, two homers, eight RBIs and two steals. It was a performance that deserves criticism for making a soft landing without getting used to in the new league. However, his on-base plus slugging percentage was 0.641, which was regrettable.
Unfortunately, for Lee Jung-hoo, who ended the season early, the important things in the future are surgery and future rehabilitation processes.
In an interview with the Major League Baseball’s website (MLB.com ) over the weekend, Farhan Zaidi, president of San Francisco’s baseball operations division, said, “The schedule for surgery after this will be decided within the next two to three weeks,” adding, “If we go through about six months of rehabilitation after the surgery, we will be in a full condition before the injury by January next year.”
Lee had a similar surgery in 2018 when he was playing in the Korea Baseball Organization. In other words, it would be the second surgery in the same area.
In an interview with a media outlet on the same day, Lee Jung-hoo said, “I didn’t intend to end my Major League rookie season this way. This season was the most disappointing one in my entire baseball career,” adding, “Now I’m trying to be optimistic. I’m trying to think about the future, not the past that has already passed.”
After undergoing surgery, Lee Jung-hoo can either remain in San Francisco, where his home stadium is located, or move to Arizona, where his spring camp facilities are located. Players who need surgery and long-term rehabilitation courses, such as Lee Jung-hoo, often move to places where the club’s spring camp facilities are located, not their home stadiums, for rehabilitation. Watching his teammates play at their home stadium can sometimes be difficult for players who cannot play for a long time.
Although Lee ended the season early due to injury, his salary and service time in the Major League are not a problem at all. The payment will continue as scheduled. MLB players are paid every two weeks in six-month increments when the regular season begins. As a result, the season ended early due to injury, but he will be paid every two weeks until the regular season ends.
Service time for the Major League is also set aside normally. Lee Jung-hoo was out early due to injury, but his service time for the big league is recognized as one year. Service time for the Major League is an important part because it serves as the basis for calculating Lee’s pension when he retires.
For reference, the Major League Baseball’s annual salary is divided into 43 days of service time and up to 10 years of service. Since 10 years is the maximum, a 10-year period is considered to be 10 years in total. Only three Korean Major Leaguers including Park Chan-ho, Choo Shin-soo and Ryu Hyun-jin achieved the maximum pension.
BY: 토토사이트
