Yoon Dong-hee's Salary Cut 10% to 180 million won, Mentioned as Expected Starting Right Fielder Against Taiwan
Commentators named Yoon Dong-hee as the expected starting right fielder for the Asian Games game against Taiwan. The national team has not confirmed its starters. His salary was cut 10% this year, and his recent hitting form is the key issue.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
Summary in Three Lines
- Two commentators named Yoon Dong-hee as the expected starting right fielder for the game against Taiwan on the 21st, and the national team has not officially announced its lineup.
- Yoon Dong-hee's salary for the 2026 season is 180 million won, down 10% from 200 million won last year.
- His batting average fell from 0.293 in the 2024 season to 0.241 this year, and he was removed from the first-team roster in early September.
"Park Jae-hyun is the right fit for the basic lineup." That was commentator Jeong Geun-woo (43), speaking in a discussion of the national team's expected lineup released on the 14th. But the name he picked as the expected right fielder was not Park Jae-hyun. It was Yoon Dong-hee. According to SPOTV News, the reasons were that the outfield is crowded with left-handed hitters and that Yoon Dong-hee has international tournament experience.
This lineup is not the national team's confirmed announcement. It is an expected lineup put together by commentators for the first Korea-Taiwan game at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on the 21st. Jeong Geun-woo, who offered this forecast, hit 0.302 over his KBO career and is a former second baseman who won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Two commentators pick Yoon Dong-hee as expected starter against Taiwan
Commentator Lee Taek-keun also said he would pick Yoon Dong-hee for the Taiwan game. Commentator Yoon Suk-min pointed to a different use for Park Jae-hyun. "Park Jae-hyun can be a pinch runner, and he can also pinch-hit late in games," he assessed. By KBO registration, Park Jae-hyun's salary this year is 50 million won. Piecing the commentators' remarks together, the idea is to have Yoon Dong-hee start and leave Park Jae-hyun for the late-game decisive moments.
There are two issues. The first is the type of opposing starting pitcher. Commentator Jeong Geun-woo thought Yoon Dong-hee could start depending on which pitcher Taiwan sends out. The second is which matters more: recent hitting form or past international tournament experience. This is exactly where Yoon Dong-hee's record is mixed.
Batting average from 0.293 to 0.241, down 52 points in two years
Yoon Dong-hee's regular-season stats over the last 3 seasons
| Season | Games | Average | Hits | Home runs | RBIs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | - | 0.293 | 156 | 14 | 85 |
| 2025 | 97 | 0.282 | 93 | 9 | 53 |
| 2026 (checked at KBO records room on September 15) | 75 | 0.241 | 60 | 5 | 24 |
His batting average, which was 0.293 in the 2024 season, became 0.241 this year. He lost 52 points in two years. His average over 28 second-half games was also only 0.258. After being removed from the first team in early September, Yoon Dong-hee adjusted his hitting in the Futures League. This year's figures are values checked at the KBO records room on the 15th. It does not show when the last game reflected in the records room was played.
What the commentators trust is his career. Born on September 18, 2003, Yoon Dong-hee is now 22 by international age, and he turns 23 three days before the Taiwan game. He joined Lotte as the 24th overall pick in Round 3 of the 2022 rookie draft's second stage. His signing bonus was 80 million won. The following year he was chosen as a replacement player for the Hangzhou Asian Games and won a gold medal. He was also named to the national teams for the 2023 APBC and the 2024 Premier12.
Yoon Dong-hee's injury history: May contusion and August substitution
Newspim reported that a Lotte official explained on May 16 that Yoon Dong-hee slipped and fell in the shower and suffered a simple contusion above his right hip. On August 24, an OSEN report (carried by Money Today) said a Lotte official, speaking about his substitution in an earlier game, stated, "No injury occurred." However, no recent medical announcement from the club that could confirm his current physical condition has been obtained.
Yoon Dong-hee's 180 million won salary ranks 2nd among 5 comparison players
2026 salaries of a comparison group of Lotte core position players (based on Sports Donga report of January 22)
| Rank | Player | Salary | Difference from Yoon Dong-hee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ko Seung-min | 185 million won | +5 million won |
| 2 | Yoon Dong-hee | 180 million won | — |
| 3 | Hwang Seong-bin | 110 million won | -70 million won |
| 4 | Na Seung-yeop | 95 million won | -85 million won |
| 4 | Son Ho-yeong | 95 million won | -85 million won |
Sports Donga reported Lotte's announcement that Yoon Dong-hee's salary this year is 180 million won. It was cut by 20 million won from 200 million won last year, a reduction of 10%. Among the 5 comparison players he ranks 2nd behind Ko Seung-min, but that is not his ranking across the whole club. An E-Today article listed this year's contract amount as 200 million won. However, KBO registration information shows 180 million won. The 200 million won is the 2025 season salary.
The starting right fielder for the Taiwan game on the 21st will be decided only once the national team submits its lineup. What has come out so far are the commentators' forecasts, the records, and the club's explanations about his injuries. His results have dropped and his salary has been cut. Even so, the commentators cited his national team history. The number that stands against that history is this year's batting average of 0.241.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How much is Yoon Dong-hee's salary?
His salary for the 2026 season is 180 million won. It is down 10% from 200 million won in the 2025 season, and Lotte's announcement and the KBO registration information show the same amount.
Q. Is Yoon Dong-hee's injury still ongoing?
It has not been confirmed. The club explained that it was a simple contusion in May and that there was no injury in August, but no recent medical announcement that could confirm his current condition has been obtained.
Q. Has Yoon Dong-hee been confirmed as a starter for the Taiwan game?
No. Commentators Jeong Geun-woo and Lee Taek-keun named Yoon Dong-hee in their expected lineups, and it is not a starting lineup officially announced by the national team.
Related Official Sites
- KBO Yoon Dong-hee Official Player Record — Check season-by-season hitting stats and registration information
- KBO Park Jae-hyun Official Player Record — Check the competing candidate's stats and registered salary
- Lotte Giants Official Website — Club notices and team news
- KBO Official Website — League schedule and official records room
Featured image · Archival photo · Not an on-site photo of a current game in the article · Photo composite · Photo = Wikimedia Commons (OSEN SPORTS), CC BY 3.0 · Photo = Wikimedia Commons (Trainholic), CC BY-SA 3.0
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