San Francisco Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo (26) continued his 4-for-4 performance in exhibition play, prompting manager Bob Melvin to announce a season-long management change.

Lee Jung-hoo started in center field and went 2-for-4 with two doubles, one home run, two RBIs, two runs scored and one stolen base in the first game of the 2024 Major League Baseball World Series against the Chicago Cubs at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Wednesday.

After grounding out to second base in the first inning and to first base in the third against Cubs right-hander Hyer Asad, Lee singled to center off right-hander Kane Eckert with two outs in the fifth inning. After Jorge Soler singled to left, he stole second and third on a double steal and recorded his second stolen base of the tournament.

In the fifth inning,

He singled up the middle against left-hander Thomas Pannoni, who spent the last two years with the Kia Tigers in the KBO. 안전놀이터 Soler’s double down the center field line scored another run, and he raced home from first base, signaling that his left hamstring is fine.

Lee, who was removed from the game against the Cincinnati Reds on April 14 with a strained left hamstring, spent six days on the disabled list. After reporting a successful comeback with two hits, including a double, one RBI, and one walk against the Los Angeles Angels on the 21st, Lee continued his multi-hit performance on the 22nd after a day off.

Through 11 games, Lee is 4-for-12 (29 at-bats) with one home run, five RBIs, six runs scored, four walks, three triples, two stolen bases, a .485 on-base percentage, a .586 slugging percentage, and a 1.071 OPS. He has the highest batting average of any player on the team with at least 25 at-bats and has shown his ability to make contact.

The only concern for Lee, who is on a fast-track to the major leagues through exhibition play, is injury.

Lee was sidelined for nearly seven months after undergoing surgery in late July of last year to repair a damaged extensor tendon in his left ankle.

Melvin went into management mode early, giving Lee a three-game break after he developed gallbladder symptoms in his side before the exhibition game. On May 5 against the Colorado Rockies, Lee was hit in the right calf by his own foul ball and was immediately replaced after his at-bat. This time, the hamstring soreness wasn’t as serious, but he’s taking care of it to make sure it doesn’t get worse.

It’s likely that Melvin will continue to be in this mode of care heading into the regular season. “We have three left-handed outfielders on the team right now, and they’re not all going to play 162 games,” Melvin told KNBR 680’s Murph & Marcus radio podcast on March 23. Even Lee Jung-hoo will have off days during the season,” he said. “The schedule in Korea is different from the schedule in the United States.”

The KBO has a 144-game schedule with Monday off days, but Major League Baseball has a 162-game schedule with no fixed off days. This year’s schedule includes 13 games in April, 16 games in May, 10 games in July, and 14 games in August. This is a lot of traveling and time difference that Lee will have to adjust to, and it’s important to stay fit. It’s not easy for him to play every game, as he’s more at risk of injury if his stamina drops.

Melvin will not push Lee too hard given that this is his first year in the major leagues.

The other left-handed hitting outfielders, Michael Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski, are also injury prone and will be managed alongside Lee.

The reason Melvin talked about managing the outfield, including Lee, was because of Austin Slater. Slater, who rehabbed from elbow surgery last winter, has struggled in six exhibition games, going 1-for-12 with two doubles, one home run, three RBIs, nine strikeouts and a .480 OPS, and hasn’t played since Aug. 18 against Colorado. It’s due to a recurrence of elbow soreness.

“Slater is recovering from elbow surgery, but it’s not going well,” Melvin said. He’s been on and off for a few games and is still feeling some pain,” said Melvin. “At this point, we’re not sure if he’ll be able to start the season with us. If that happens, Luis Matos will remain on the roster.”

Slater was expected to share the right field spot with Yastrzemski, 바카라사이트 but an elbow injury put his opening day status in doubt. Matos, a 2002 rookie from Venezuela, will take his place. Matos has been hot at the plate in exhibition play, going 16-for-51 with four home runs, 11 RBIs and a 1.042 OPS in 20 games.