Son Joo-young, minor damage to his side while catching a ball

The LG Twins reported the injury news of ace Son Ju-young ahead of the opening game of the 2026 season. LG coach Yeom Kyeong-yeop said just before the opening game against KT held at Jamsil Stadium on the 28th, "Son Joo-young said his side was feeling a little bad after playing catch the day before yesterday, so I checked him out at the hospital and they said it was a microscopic injury."

Son Joo-young complained of discomfort in his right side during catch ball training on the 25th, and after two examinations on the 26th and 27th, he was diagnosed with microscopic damage to his right internal oblique muscle.

WBC left again after recovering from injury

Son Joo-young played as a starter for the national team at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), but was replaced immediately after the start of the second inning after appearing in the first inning against Australia held at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on the 9th. At the time, he was diagnosed with inflammation and swelling of the pronator muscle due to elbow pain, so he was unable to join the second round.

After recovering from his elbow condition through rest, Son Joo-young took the mound in an exhibition game against Kiwoom on the 24th and attempted to return. However, after showing a poor performance, allowing 5 hits, 1 home run, and 3 runs in 1.2 innings, a new injury occurred the next day.

Return date postponed to the end of April

Director Yeom Kyeong-yeop said, "I thought (the return time) would be mid-April, but I'm going to do it slowly. I'm looking at the end of April." He explained, "They say it's a microscopic injury so it recovers quickly. Still, you must not move for two weeks. It takes time to heal."

Son Joo-young's void will be filled by Lachlan Wells, who joined LG through the Asia quota. Coach Yeom said, “Wells and Kim Yun-sik will be discharged soon, so the starting rotation will not be operating normally until May.”

The original plan to distribute the burden of the starting lineup with a six-selection system became inevitable. Coach Yeom expressed his regret, saying, “In the beginning, I tried not to overdo it until the starting rotation went through two turns, but it started running normally right away.”

Meanwhile, Moon Bo-kyung, who suffered a back injury during the WBC season, will participate in the opening game as a designated hitter and will begin defensive training next week.