SF Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee to undergo season-ending surgery

Lee, 25, played 37 games in his first MLB season before dislocating his left shoulder this week attempting to make a leaping catch.

SAN FRANCISCO — Jung Hoo Lee, the Giants’ Korean sensation, will not play again this season.

The 25-year-old center fielder will undergo surgery in the coming weeks to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, the club announced Friday.

Lee dislocated his shoulder Sunday when he collided with the outfield wall while attempting to make a leaping grab. While initial MRIs revealed structural damage, a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Thursday confirmed the need for surgery.

The timeline to return to the field, according to president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, is approximately six months, and the Giants expect him to make a “full recovery,” Zaidi said. Lee previously had his left labrum operated on while in Korea in 2018.

The injury brought a premature end to Lee’s inaugural MLB campaign, batting .262/.310/.331 over 37 games. He accumulated 0.4 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball-Reference, seventh among Giants position players.

Lee signed a six-year, $113 million free-agent contract in December that was both the largest signed by any Korean player and biggest sum handed out by the Giants to any free-agent position player. He is expected to be ready for Opening Day in 2025 and will be under contract for three more seasons before he has the ability to opt out after 2027.