Giants' Lee Jung-hoo diagnosed with dislocated shoulder injury

San Francisco Giants' Lee Jung-hoo, 26, injured his shoulder while defending and was immediately substituted. If the injury is found to be serious upon examination, Lee could be sidelined for an extended period.

On Monday, Lee took his position as center fielder for the leadoff hitter during a Major League Baseball (MLB) home game against Cincinnati. In the top of the first inning, with the bases loaded and two outs, Lee injured himself after crashing into the center-field fence while attempting to catch Jeimer Candelario’s bases-clearing double. The ball hit the top of the fence and fell to the ground, allowing all three runners to score.

After lying on the ground for nearly two minutes, Lee was helped off the field by the team's head trainer, who rushed from the dugout. Tyler Fitzgerald came in to replace Lee. Lee returned in three consecutive games due to fouling a ball off his left foot but was sidelined again without even hitting a single ball.

The San Francisco Giants initially announced Lee's injury as a 'sprain.' However, after the 6-5 win, they changed it to 'dislocated.' While a sprain is a ligament injury, a dislocation occurs when the bone is pulled out of the shoulder joint. Manager Bob Melvin, who used the term 'separated,' stated that Lee will undergo an MRI exam tomorrow. If it turns out to be a dislocation, Lee is expected to miss a significant amount of time, and depending on the severity, surgery might be necessary.


Heon-Jae Lee uni@donga.com