“It is possible to return before the All-Star break at the earliest, but…”
Edison Russell (Kiwoom Heroes) is unable to play the last game against Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon on the 16th of last month. Wrist pain was a problem. He initially expected to return soon, but the recovery was slow.
In the end, Kiwoom canceled Russell from the first team entry ahead of the Gocheok Doosan Bears match on the 23rd of last month. He underwent injection treatment to fully recover from his injuries.
On the 2nd, 10 days after Russell was canceled from the first team entry, Hong Won-ki Kiwoom coach delivered news about the current status.안전놀이터
Director Hong Won-ki met with reporters ahead of the match against Gocheok SSG Landers and said, “Although it is expected of the training part, I am cautiously saying, ‘Isn’t it possible (return) before the All-Star break at the earliest?'” He said, “I’m a little cautious because of that part.”
He continued, “It would be better if I could come back before the All-Star break and help the team, but I think the priority is to come back after I’ve definitely recovered.”
Russell joined hands with Kiwoom again ahead of this season. In the 2020 season, he wore a Kiwoom uniform with great expectations, but showed a disappointing appearance with 62 hits, 2 homers, 31 RBIs, 22 runs, a batting average of 0.254 OPS and 0.653. However, he is doing well this season with 63 hits, 4 home runs, 42 RBIs, 20 runs batted in, and a batting average of 0.286 OPS of 0.739.
In particular, this season, Russell is showing a strong look at the scoring. In scoring position, he went 27-for-65 with 3 homers, 38 RBIs, 18 runs scored, 11 walks and 11 strikeouts for a .415 batting average of 1.164 OPS. He leads the league in scoring position batting average and is the only 400 hitter in scoring position. Second place is Kim Hyun-soo (LG Twins) with a batting average of 0.393. In the 2020 season, the batting average in scoring position was 0.274. He is showing a different appearance during the clutch situation this season.
Kiwoom is 6th with 36 wins, 2 draws and 39 losses. It is 1 game behind 5th place Doosan. 1st place LG Twins and 2nd place SSG Landers are competing for the lead, and from 3rd place NC Dinos to 9th place KIA Tigers are fighting fiercely to advance to fall baseball. The difference between NC and KIA is 5 games. You never know which team will come out on top.
If Russell returns in a fierce situation, it will be a great help to Kiwoom. From the 4th, Kiwoom will play 3 consecutive matches with NC and Gocheok, and then go to Jamsil and Doosan Expedition 3 consecutive matches. Starting on the 11th, KT Wiz will be called home to play the last three games of the first half. After spending an All-Star break, he will go on an expedition to the Lotte Giants in Busan on the 21st.