ethernetacademy.netDoosan’s expanded roster in the KBO has been finalized.
The 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League game against LG Electronics took place at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on July 31. Doosan head coach Lee Seung-yeop spoke to reporters before the game and announced the five players named to the expanded roster, which will take effect in September.
Starting next month, the KBO League will implement an expanded roster that will increase the number of first-team players for each of the 10 clubs from 28 to 33. The expanded roster was introduced in 2015 to help rest tired starters toward the end of the season.
Three pitchers – Park Shin-ji, Lee Hyung-beom, and Kim Jung-woo – were included, while two batters – Lee Yoo-chan and Park Ji-hoon – joined the roster. Of the three, Park Shin-ji will start the final game of the three-game weekend series against Lotte next month.
Park Shin-ji got a few chances to play early in the season, but didn’t meet Lee’s expectations. In six appearances (one start), he struggled to a 6.23 ERA with no wins, no losses, no holds, and no saves. He was particularly shaky against Hanwha on June 7, when he was pulled early after just two innings (two runs).
However, Park Shin-ji is an attractive resource for Lee, as he split time between the starting rotation (9 games) and the bullpen (20 games) last season. While Lee is disappointed with Park’s performance this season, he believes he can be utilized as a starter at any time.
Lee is also considering a “one-plus-one” system, where the team will play with two starting pitchers. “With three more pitchers, the timing of substitutions can be quicker,” he said, explaining, “The best case scenario is for the starter to go at least five innings, but if he’s struggling, we need to have a bullpen pitcher on standby quickly.”
Right-hander Kim Myung-shin has been pitching well out of the bullpen, so the expanded roster will help him stay healthy. “As soon as you come up from the second team, you’ll be nervous because you have to play an important game, but from tomorrow, you’ll be a first-team player,” Lee said, adding, “It’s up to you, and I hope you don’t show weakness.”
Currently, Doosan is in the mid-table and in the thick of the postseason race. With 54 wins, one draw, 53 losses, and a 5.5 percent win percentage, they are just 0.5 games behind fifth-place KIA.스포츠토토
They still have a lot of games left against the top teams, but they need to build up their points. “I think we have enough strength to keep up in the second half,” Lee said, “and if we show what we’ve been working on, I think we can have a good finish.”