Lotte's Hong Min-gi and Yoon Dong-hee excluded from first team, Manager Kim Tae-hyoung's decisive move

Lotte Giants Decide to Remove Hong Min-gi and Yoon Dong-hye never from Entry

The Lotte Giants have made changes to their roster to reorganize the pitching staff and manage the batting lineup's condition. During the 2026 KBO League regular season, Lotte removed left-handed reliever Hong Min-gi (25) and star hitter Yoon Dong-hye from the first-team roster, calling up Choi Jun-yong and Na Seung-yeop instead. This decision follows Manager Kim Tae-hyoung's judgment, considering the players' physical condition and instability in pitching mechanics.

Troubled Pitching Balance of 'Fireballer' Hong Min-gi

Hong Min-gi, who has proven his potential with a powerful fastball reaching 155 km/h, is currently undergoing a severe transitional period. Although he continued attempts to increase his arm slot during the off-season and spring camp, he experienced confusion as his existing strengths failed to resurface, leading to a rapid collapse in his pitching balance after August.

Recent records clearly show his slump. Since returning to the first team after June 11, Hong Min-gi has struggled in his last three games (June 28 against LG, and June 30 and July 2 against Doosan), managing to record only one out against six batters. In particular, during the game against the Hanwha Eagles on the 5th, he surrendered a walk-off walk to pinch-hitter Kang Baek-ho with one out and bases loaded in the top of the 6th inning, losing the momentum of the game.

Regarding the reason for Hong's removal, Manager Kim Tae-hyoung stated, "It is not a situation where we can keep him (in the first team). It is taking a long time to recover after things have gone bad," adding, "The ball is fast, but adjustment is needed. He seems to be struggling psychologically."

Yoon Dong-hye's Poor Condition and Roster Change

It was also determined that Yoon Dong-hye, who was removed from the roster alongside Hong, needs rest. Yoon, who led the team's batting lineup with a .299 average in the first half, fell into a sharp slump in the second half, batting .194 across 24 games. Although he attempted to bounce back with a hit in the game on the 19th, Manager Kim Tae-hyoung judged that Yoon's movement was not perfect. Manager Kim explained, "He says he is fine, but his movement did not look okay, so I removed him from the entry."

To fill the void left by Hong Min-gi, Lotte bolstered the mound by calling up left-hander Jeong Hyeon-su, who appeared in 82 games last season. In place of Yoon Dong-hye, Na Seung-yeop and Choi Jun-yong were registered.

Mound and Batting Slump Leading to Defeat Against Hanwha

In the game against the Hanwha Eagles held at Busan Sajik Stadium on the 5th, Lotte lost 9-2, marking their second consecutive loss. Hanwha secured the victory thanks to the strong pitching of starter Ryu Hyun-jin and the performance of Ferrazza. Ferrazza hit his 11th solo home run of the season against Lotte starter Rodriguez in the top of the 5th inning. Lotte attempted to catch up by tying the game 1-1 in the bottom of the 4th with Kim Min-seong's RBI double, but the game tilted toward Hanwha when Hong Min-gi allowed a walk with the bases loaded.