Kim Min-soo was added to the first-team roster on Thursday against Suwon Kiwoom. Min-soo, who was sidelined before the start of the regular 안전놀이터 season when he suffered a right arm forearm injury and went into rehabilitation, joined the first-team squad for the first time since the start of the season.
Min-soo recorded 30 holds last year, forming part of KT’s back end alongside Joo Kwon and Kim Jae-yoon. He played multiple roles as a long reliever and set-up man, and by the end of the season, he was a full-fledged closer, leading KT to fall baseball. The plan was to start the year with the same pitching duo, but an injury that sidelined Joo to start the season left a significant gap in the KT mound.
After rehabbing and appearing in six games in the Futures League with one hold and a 3.86 ERA, Kim Min-soo returned to the first-team mound following Joo’s return last week. Like Joo, KT plans to monitor his condition for the time being before deciding when to call him up.
However, catcher Kim Jun-tae and pitcher Cho Hyun-woo are out with injuries. Kim Jun-tae was hit in the foot by a pitch during a recent game and was initially diagnosed with a bone bruise, but the pain persisted and a second examination revealed a fractured pinky toe. He will be unable to play for four weeks. With KT’s injury-riddled roster, Kim Jun-tae had been serving as a backup to Jang Jang-woo, the team’s main catcher, and as a substitute in crucial situations. Left-hander Cho Hyun-woo, who rehabbed after undergoing elbow surgery last year and registered for the first time in the season on Oct. 10, was temporarily removed from the roster due to a bad right ankle.