Giants’ Lee Jung-hoo lands on injured list with dislocated shoulder

The San Francisco Giants’ South Korean rookie Lee Jung-hoo has landed on the 10-day injured list (IL) with a dislocated left shoulder.

The Giants placed Lee on the sidelines Monday (local time), a day after Lee crashed into the center-field wall at Oracle Park in San Francisco while trying to make a grab during the Giants’ game against the Cincinnati Reds.

Lee crumpled to the ground and immediately grabbed his left shoulder. A few minutes later, the Giants’ head athletic trainer, Dave Groeschner, escorted Lee off the field while holding the player’s left arm steady.

The Giants said Lee was scheduled to meet with team doctors Monday evening to review the results of his MRI exam and determine the next course in his recovery. There was no immediate timetable for his return, but Giants manager Bob Melvin told reporters he didn’t anticipate Lee would need surgery.

“We’ll probably have somewhat of a timeline later tonight,” Melvin said. “He’s very team-oriented and wants to be out there for this team, and, therefore, is disappointed. But there’s not much you can do about it. You make an all-out effort like that to catch a ball in the first inning. You make that play, and it’s a huge momentum swing. And now, all of a sudden, our center fielder is down. I’m sure he’s feeling it right now. He wants to be out there for his team.”

Lee is the seventh Giants position player to land on the IL over the past week. Prior to Sunday’s action, Lee had missed three games after fouling a ball off his left foot last Wednesday.

Lee is batting .262/.310/.331 with two home runs, eight RBIs and two steals in 37 games, and has made some highlight-reel plays in center field. Through Sunday’s game, Lee ranked second on the Giants with 38 hits.

The 25-year-old signed a six-year, US$113 million contract with the Giants last December, after seven successful seasons with the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

In 2022, Lee was voted the league MVP. Among all KBO players with at least 3,000 plate appearances, Lee owns the highest lifetime batting average with .340.