Seoul: The LG Twins announced Wednesday they will be without their cleanup hitter Moon Bo-gyeong for about a month due to an ankle injury. The Korea Baseball Organization club said Moon was diagnosed with ligament damage in his left ankle and his recovery will take four to five weeks.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Moon suffered the injury while trying to field a grounder at first base during Tuesday's game against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. The ball popped out of Moon's glove and rolled toward the dugout, and Moon, with the momentum carrying him in that direction, inadvertently stepped on the ball and turned his ankle badly. Moon went down to the ground in obvious pain and was taken off the field in an ambulance.
Moon has batted cleanup in all 30 games this season and has been the Twins' designated hitter in 26 of them. Tuesday's game was only his fourth appearance at first base. Moon was batting .310/.462/.430 with three homers and 19 RBIs.
Prior to Wednesday's game against the Bears, Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb said he will try to take a glass half-full outlook on Moon's absence, noting that it will mean more playing time for lesser-used players. "I think the opportunities that will open up for those players will mean a lot to them individually and also to the entire team, if they can make the most of those chances," Youm said. "Plus, some guys who have been struggling at the plate are due for a breakout. It is disappointing to lose Bo-gyeong but I think we can still have some positive developments from all this."
Youm said he will not have a set cleanup hitter while Moon is sidelined. For Wednesday's game, Cheon Seong-ho will bat fourth, and Youm said he will use players who don't strike out much and who can consistently put the ball in play. Cheon fits that bill, with a .347 batting average and just 14 strikeouts in 112 plate appearances.
"If we are to have injuries, it's better to deal with them now than later in the year," Youm added. "I am actually very grateful that the injury isn't as serious as it looked and he will only be out for about a month. If he'd been ruled out for two to three months, it would have forced me to make some major changes. But if it's only a month, we have guys that can hold down the fort."
The Twins also said backup outfielder Choi Won-young will miss seven to eight weeks with a right ankle injury. Having mostly been used as a pinch runner, Choi was batting .143 in 25 games with four steals.