Things haven't gotten any better Even SF Melvin director is worried, mild pain → MI examination Lee Jung-hoo, warning light for joining the opening entry

Mar 18, 2025

"Things didn't get much better. It takes longer than expected."

What San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin said is full of worries. This is because the back pain of Lee Jung-hoo (27), who returned to the exhibition game this year after recovering from a shoulder injury early last year, rarely disappears.

Lee Jung-hoo's sudden back injury, which was expected to play the team's main center fielder and center hitter, has emerged as a new issue in San Francisco. The official major league website is also paying attention to Lee Jung-hoo's back injury.

MLB.COM plans to undergo an MRI examination of Lee Jung-hoo's back on the 19th (Korea time). It's quite a worry for San Francisco, which is facing the final week of the Cactus League in the exhibition game,' he reported.

Lee Jung-hoo was originally scheduled to start the game against the Seattle Mariners on the 16th. However, he was absent from the lineup due to continued back pain. As Lee Jung-hoo's back pain has been going on longer than expected, San Francisco will have his team doctor Dr. Kenneth Akazuki follow-up treatment following an MRI examination, he explained.

The San Francisco team also shared Lee Jung-hoo's MRI examination and doctor's treatment in its medical update on its website.

Contrary to the original expectations, Lee Jung-hoo's condition can be seen as quite bad. Lee Jung-hoo, who completed rehabilitation after shoulder surgery early last year, was evaluated as the team's central strength by showing off his robustness in exhibition games. Lee Jung-hoo, who played in 12 exhibition games and recorded a batting average of 0.300 (9 hits in 30 at-bats), two homers, five RBIs, nine runs, four walks, seven strikeouts, and an OPS of 0.967, was expected to play '3 - center fielder' this year.

However, due to back pain that occurred suddenly at the end of the exhibition game, the emergency light is on for joining the season's opening entry.

San Francisco Official X Capture

At first, neither Melvin nor the San Francisco club took Lee Jung-hoo's back pain so seriously. This is because it was not an injury that occurred in situations where the body was moving, such as practice or games.

After Lee Jung-hoo was excluded from the selection before Oakland on the 17th, the San Francisco regional media Chronicle predicted that Lee Jung-hoo would still be unable to play for the next few days due to back pain. However, he said it was not because he was hurt playing baseball, but because he slept wrong, he reported.

Until then, it was widely expected that the pain could be controlled by rest, physical therapy, and muscle relaxation injections if necessary. But things changed drastically in one day.

San Francisco expressed serious concern about Lee Jung-hoo's back pain, which is rarely getting better, and decided to undergo a thorough examination and a doctor's diagnosis. They are moving in a hurry because they are worried that Lee Jung-hoo's joining in the opening entry will fail.

San Francisco Director Bob Melvin

Director Melvin also told local media that the pain after this period lasts longer than expected. I hope to hear good news, but the situation is not getting much better" he expressed concern.

MLB.COM reported that if Lee Jung-hoo's back pain continues, San Francisco could put forward Grant McCray as an alternative. This means San Francisco is already preparing 'Plan B'. This also means that Lee Jung-hoo's condition is not taken lightly. Attention is focusing on whether Lee Jung-hoo will be able to recover his health before the opening.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.