San Francisco Superstar Rookie Set to Join Team on Road Rest of Season

The San Francisco Giants rookie will rejoin the team for their remaining road series games this season, but still won't make his way onto the field.

May 8, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (51) during the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants lost a big-money international rookie due to injury, but all signs are positive as his rehab starts positive.

Jung-hoo Lee won't return from injury this season, but has made a big step in joining the team for the rest of their road series this year.

"Everybody’s all for having him on the road with us right now,” said Giants manager Bob Melvin per Evan Webeck of The Mercury News. “He’s going to be with us for a while. He’s great to have around. Always in a great mood. It can get a little lonely when you’re just at home doing your rehab all the time and only see the team sporadically, so it’s good to have him here.”

San Francisco signed Lee to a massive six-year, $113 million contract this past offseason. He was a Korea Baseball Organization megastar and became the team's center fielder.

The South Korea native dominated KBO pitching, putting up a .340/.407/.491 slashing line over his seven seasons. He flashed a little bit of power, but mostly excelled at getting on base and not striking out.

His father, Lee Jong-beom was one of the best players in KBO history. He was a four-time Korean Series champion and 13-time All-Star.

Jong-beom's stardom is a big reason why Jung-hoo carries as much of a fandom as he does, but he's earned it with his play on the field as well.

The younger Lee picked up plenty of KBO accolades on his own, winning a Rookie of the Year award, MVP and five Golden Gloves. It's clear why the Giants paid him a hefty sum and expected him to be a huge part of their future.

The 26-year-old has gotten off to an okay start to his career, flashing a bit of what the team had hoped for him to.

Over 37 games, he had a .262/.310/.331 slashing line with two home runs and eight RBI. His batting average jumped up to .310 for his final stretch of seven games but his overall OPS wasn't much higher.

He showed one of the strongest arms in the league per Baseball Savant's metrics.

The season-ending injury came in the first inning of a game against the Cincinnati Reds in the middle of May. He tore his labrum crashing into the wall.

"Even if I’m not playing baseball, still going to new stadiums gives me a vision of how I can play next time when I’m back here,” said Lee. “So it’s good to be here.”

San Francisco has four more road series this season before the end of the year, not counting the current one against the Milwaukee Brewers.