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"I decided it was time to rest rather than throw on the mound."

Lotte Giants pitcher Choi Jun-yong is taking a break.

Lotte removed Choi from its roster on Friday and designated Lee Min-seok for assignment after he returned from an elbow injury.

Choi, who had been performing well in the closer role with a 1-3 record and a 2.87 ERA through April, has struggled mightily in May. In eight appearances, he has pitched just 3⅔ innings.

He had three blown saves this month alone. On May 3 against the Samsung Lions, and most recently on May 12 against the LG Twins and the day before against the KT Wiz. His ERA in May is a whopping 9.82. As a result, he hasn't had a hold since April 21st.

The red flag was that he allowed a home run in both games of the LG-KT series. Choi was replaced by Jeon after giving up a tying homer to Austin, a single to Hong Chang-ki (pinch-hitting for Choi Seung-min), and a walk to Koo Bon-hyeok in the seventh inning of the 4-3 win over LG. Choi's run total increased to two as Jeon gave up a walk to Oh Ji-hwan.

Against KT the previous day, Choi pitched the bottom of the seventh inning with runners on first and second and gave up a thunderous three-run homer to Kang Baek-ho. Lotte tied the game in the top of the eighth with a solo home run by Jeon Jun-woo, but in the bottom of the eighth, Jeon Mir gave up a three-run single to Jang Jang-woo to make it 4-7.

With 23 appearances this season, Jeon is tied for second in the KBO with junior Jeon Mir for the most appearances (LG's Lee Woo-chan is first with 24).

"I think Choi Jun-yong needs to rest, not focus on his pitching 안전놀이터 추천 (in the second team)," said Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung at KT Wiz Park in Suwon. "He has good stuff, but he keeps trying to make things difficult for himself. I hope we come back well-rested and improved." In addition to resting, the team is also looking to revitalize its mood after four straight losses. "He pitched a lot at the beginning of the season, but he hasn't pitched for a long time recently," Jeon added.

Joining Choi in the first-team rotation is Lee Min-seok. Lee was out for the season last year after undergoing Tommy John surgery (medial elbow ligament reconstruction) following an elbow injury in the opening game of the season. After a year-long rehabilitation, he improved his condition this year by pitching in the second team rotation. He is expected to step into the starting five in the absence of Lee In-bok.

He is a hard-throwing pitcher who has shown up to 155 mph in the first team. His velocity has nearly recovered this year, touching 152 mph on the club's speed gun in the second team. He has pitched 5, 4, 5, and 5 innings in the last three games for the Futures, with his most recent outing coming against the KT Wiz on April 9, where he pitched 5 innings with 2 runs and 7 Ks.

Lee Min-seok explained that he can also pitch in the middle innings. With the game canceled, Na Gyun-ahn, who was originally scheduled to start, has been moved to the 18th. Park Se-woong will start on the 16th.

As a result, Lee Min-seok's start has been pushed back. That leaves room in the bullpen for a starter.