Kiwoom Heroes pitcher Cho Sang-woo was canceled again after just two games after returning from injury due to a recurrence of shoulder pain. It was a KBO League trade blue chip this year, but Cho Sang-woo, who ended up staying, is having a very unresolved season.
스포츠토토 The KBO announced the expiration of its first-team players on Aug. 12. SSG Landers pitcher Baek Seung-gun, KT Wiz pitcher Lee Sang-dong, Samsung Lions pitcher Lee Seung-hyun (left-hander), LG Twins pitchers Lim Joon-hyung and Jung Ji-heon, and Jo Sang-woo were listed as the final players.
Among them, Lee and Jo Sang-woo stand out the most. Lee Seung-hyun, who played a key role in Samsung’s starting lineup this season, will leave the team for four weeks due to left hamstring injury. Samsung’s starting lineup, which was the driving force behind the team’s maintenance of performance at the top of the list, is in a grave crisis.
A Samsung official said, “Lee Seung-hyun was found to need rehabilitation and recovery for about four weeks due to damage to his left hamstring after an MRI examination at the hospital.”
Cho also left the mound due to relapse of shoulder pain. Cho pitched 44 games (39.2 innings) this season, recording one loss, six saves and nine holds with an ERA of 3.18 36 strikeouts and 20 walks with WHIP 1.51.
Jo, who started his first full-time season after serving in the military, returned to his position as a setup man from June after playing the role of a setup man from the opening of this season. Was his three consecutive games poison? After taking the mound on July 11, Jo felt shoulder discomfort and spent his rehabilitation period.
Cho Sang-woo was the biggest blue chip in the trade market this summer. Kiwoom reportedly wanted Cho Sang-woo as a trade item and exchange the top rookie designation rights and quality players. There were quite a few clubs interested in recruiting Cho Sang-woo, but as a result, Cho Sang-woo’s shoulder injury left the trade.
After returning to the first team somewhat later than expected on Aug. 6, Cho continued to display shaky pitching in the match against SSG Landers (three hits and two runs allowed in 0 innings) and the match against Hanwha Eagles (one inning, two hits and no run) on Aug. 10. He still failed to recover his pitching speed. Finally, he was excluded from the first team entry again on Aug. 12 without being able to return to the final position.
An official from Kiwoom said, “In a big way, it is a reorganization. I continue to feel discomfort in my right shoulder, which was bad at first. After returning, I did not have a perfect pitching condition even in two games. I think the rehabilitation schedule will proceed again with hospital treatment and rest,” he said.
The recurrence of Cho’s shoulder injury is a serious negative factor not only for individual players but also for Kiwoom, which has yet to give up its participation in fall baseball. As Cho, who will share responsibility for the must-win team with Joo Seung-woo, has disappeared, the Kiwoom bench will again have a hard time managing the bullpen. As Cho will become the first free agent after the end of the 2025 season, he should continue to prove his healthy physical condition. In many ways, the year has not been easy for Cho.