Samsung Lions Call Up Park Se-hyeok as KBO Expanded Rosters Take Effect

On Tuesday, August 25, 2026, the Samsung Lions activated veteran catcher Park Se-hyeok and four other players to the first-team roster on the opening day of the KBO League’s expanded-entry rules, demoting Kim Do-hwan a day earlier as the club opened a road series against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome. Samsung entered the week one game behind first-place KT Wiz in a pennant race that intensified as every team added depth for the season’s final stretch.

The Korea Baseball Organization moved the expanded-roster start date up from its traditional September 1 window to August 25 this season. Each of the league’s 10 clubs may register four additional players beyond their standard first-team list — 38 players league-wide were added on the first day alone, including KT captain Jang Sung-woo returning from an oblique injury.

Editor’s note: This article draws on reporting from Sports Chosun, STARNEWS Korea, and Sportal Korea, August 25, 2026.

Samsung’s five-man roster overhaul

Samsung’s moves were among the most aggressive in the league on expanded-entry day.

Move	Player	Role
Demoted (Aug. 24)	Kim Do-hwan	Catcher — sent to Futures League
Called up	Park Se-hyeok	Veteran catcher
Called up	Lee Chang-yong	Infielder — Futures League RBI leader
Called up	Lee Jin-yong	Outfielder
Called up	Ham Su-ho	Outfielder — power bat, pinch-run option
Called up	Kim Baek-san	Pitcher — long relief, spot-start flexibility

Manager Park Jin-man framed the shake-up around three bench priorities: a power pinch-hitter, a pinch runner, and a versatile bullpen arm who can absorb multi-inning relief work during a compressed schedule.

Kim Baek-san fits the pitching piece. Samsung plans to use him as a long reliever who can cover multiple innings and ease the load on overworked late-inning arms; Park Jin-man said the right-hander could even spot-start as a fifth starter if matchups demand it.

Lee Chang-yong arrives after ranking second in the Futures League in RBIs, while Ham Su-ho gives the Lions a late-inning power option off the bench. Lee Jin-yong adds outfield depth for platoon and defensive substitutions.

Why Kim Do-hwan was sent down

Kim Do-hwan’s demotion on August 24 — on a day Samsung did not play — drew immediate speculation in Korean baseball circles. Park Jin-man addressed the move directly and dismissed rumors that the decision reflected poor performance or internal friction.

The manager said Kim’s playing time had dropped, and that the young catcher appeared to be carrying fatigue in his swing and body. Rather than keep him on a thin first-team bench with limited at-bats, Samsung opted to send him to the Futures League so he could keep catching, rebuild stamina, and stay game-sharp.

Park Se-hyeok, meanwhile, had been working through a reset period in the minors and rejoined the first team to stabilize the catching corps alongside starter Kang Min-ho.

Lineup tweaks for Kiwoom opener

Samsung kept the same nine starters from its August 23 win over NC Dinos but reshuffled the batting order for the Kiwoom opener.

Order	Player	Position
1	Kim Ji-chan	CF
2	Koo Ja-wook	LF
3	Choi Hyung-woo	DH
4	Lewin Diaz	1B
5	Kim Tae-hoon	RF
6	Ryu Ji-hyuk	2B
7	Kim Young-woong	3B
8	Park Gye-beom	SS
9	Kang Min-ho	C

The most notable shift: Kim Tae-hoon moved from seventh to fifth in the order, with Ryu Ji-hyuk and Kim Young-woong each dropping one spot. Foreign starter Austin Bost — who struck out 12 in five innings against SSG on August 19 for his first KBO win — took the mound to open the three-game set.

Pennant-race stakes

Samsung arrived in Seoul on a two-game winning streak after sweeping NC over the weekend, trimming KT’s division lead to a single game. Kiwoom entered the series with strong recent form — eight wins and four losses in its prior 12 games — but Samsung viewed the midweek road trip as a chance to pile up wins before a weekend home series against KT in Daegu that could reshape the standings.

KT added its own expanded-roster reinforcements on August 25, including Jang Sung-woo’s return roughly a month after an internal oblique strain sidelined the captain. With both contenders fortifying their benches on the same day, Samsung’s Park Se-hyeok call-up read as a direct answer to a rival that refused to stand pat.

What’s next

Samsung and Kiwoom continue their three-game series at Gocheok on Wednesday, August 26, and Thursday, August 27, before the Lions return to Daegu for a three-game set against KT starting Friday, August 28. Whether Kim Do-hwan rejoins the first team — and how Park Se-hyeok and the new bench pieces are deployed in high-leverage spots — will likely define Samsung’s September push.

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Discussion

Samsung bet veteran stability behind the plate while betting on Futures League production everywhere else on expanded-entry day.

1. Kim Do-hwan was billed as Samsung’s catcher of the future, but Park Se-hyeok got the call when the pennant race tightened. Does sending the younger catcher down for a recharge make sense — or does it signal that Samsung trusts experience over development down the stretch?

2. Every KBO team added four players on August 25. In a one-game race with KT, which expanded-roster weapon matters more: Samsung’s catching swap, KT’s return of Jang Sung-woo, or the bench bats neither club has used yet?

How would you deploy Park Se-hyeok and Kim Baek-san if you were managing a one-run game in September?

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