Will pro baseball Kiwoom Heroes rookie infielder Yeo Dong-wook (19) be able to start the opening game as the third baseman. 

Yeo Dong-wook started the exhibition game against the Lotte Giants in the "2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League" at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 17th and recorded one hit in four at-bats. 

After joining Kiwoom in the third round (27th place) of the 2025 Rookie Draft, Yeo is expected to become the next generation infielder to take charge of the Kiwoom infield. Since the Taiwan Spring camp, he has emerged as a candidate for the main third baseman and is receiving many opportunities at exhibition games. He has posted a batting average of 280 (five hits in 24 at-bats) with one homer, one RBI, six runs and an OPS of .644 in nine exhibition games. 메이저사이트

In the match against Doosan on the 16th, Yeo Dong-wook showed a good defense to catch the ball even though he fell into the dugout on the third base. Kiwoom manager Hong Won-ki said in an interview on the 17th, "I was also really surprised, but I was even more surprised to see him running out right away. It was a very dangerous play. It is an instinctive action to follow the ball, so it is difficult to prevent it no matter how careful you are. I'm glad I didn't get hurt," but he praised, "The concentration and judgment on the ball was a play worth living with." 

After completing some plans for the season with only one exhibition game to go, Hong said, "Yeo Dong-wook's position shows how he continues to improve. He will suffer ups and downs in the early part of the season. We have to deal with good pitchers and the opening game could be very nervous. But we have to go through that and move on," hinting at the possibility of using Yeo as the third baseman for the opening game. 

Yeo Dong-wook said in an interview on the 15th, "I'm really grateful to Coach Hong Won-ki for continuing to give me opportunities in the trial game," adding, "I thought I would have a chance someday if I prepared well, but I didn't expect to continue to receive opportunities right away from the exhibition game. I'm worried that there's still too much to play on the professional stage, but I'll do my best." 

Yeo Dong-wook, who has just graduated from high school and is dealing with professional pitchers and batters for the first time, said, "The pitchers' speed and breaking balls are clearly different. The batters' batting speed is also different, so I can clearly feel the difference when I go out of defense," and added, "At the beginning of the demonstration game, I did not play boldly and carefully. Recently, the coaches told me to play more boldly, and they said that it is a play that can be played as a rookie, but after hearing that, I think playing without thinking too much is coming back to a good result." 

"I'm excited, but I'm also worried if I can make the entry. I'm not sure yet. I think I'm more worried. I hope I can make it," Yeo said with a smile. 

Yeo Dong-wook, who is competing for a position in good faith with Jeon Tae-hyun (41st in the fifth round), said, "We talk a lot about doing well together with (former) Tae-hyun. The same goes for (Kwon) Hyuk-bin. We are rooting for each other to stay in the first team for a long time," but added, "I think it is a good competition. To be honest, I think it is an opportunity for me to admit it and work harder because there are parts that Tae-hyun is good at." 

Yeo, who hit a home run in her first at-bat since debuting in an exhibition game, also made headlines with her spectacular bat flip. "I'm not usually the type to express it, but I naturally came out swinging," smiling, Yeo said. "Now I try not to think about home runs. Today is the day, and home runs are a thing of the past. I'm trying every day to keep getting better. I'll do my best to make it into the opening game entry," he said, renewing his commitment ahead of the season's opening.