Lee, diagnosed with a torn labrum, will undergo season-ending surgery originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Jung Hoo Lee’s first season with the Giants is over.
Lee has a torn labrum in his left shoulder and will undergo season-ending surgery in the coming weeks, the Giants announced Friday. He suffered structural damage after crashing into the centerfield fence last weekend, and a second opinion on Thursday confirmed the labrum will require surgical repair.
Lee said this is actually his second shoulder dislocation. He said he was disappointed but plans to come back strong. Through interpreter Justin Han, Lee said the first month-plus in the major leagues was the “happiest moment of my baseball career.”
Lee signed a six-year deal worth $113 million this offseason, the largest the Giants have ever given to a free-agent position player. They were hopeful he could fix the midfield defense, a weakness of the past two seasons, and add some athleticism.
Lee was installed as the leadoff hitter and started 37 games before being injured, hitting .262 with a .641 OPS and two home runs. He played solid defense in center field, and the Giants were excited about the fact that Lee didn’t seem to have an adjustment period from the KBO to the MLB. His bat-to-ball skills translated and the staff was hopeful of a big summer and second half.
Without Lee, Luis Matos gets the chance to become the everyday midfielder. The 22-year-old is 4-for-12 since returning from Triple-A, with a homer and five RBI. He was shaky in center field the first two nights of the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the staff asked him to play deeper and he robbed Teoscar Hernandez of a homer on Wednesday.
Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast
