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Jung Hoo Lee reacts after striking out against the Washington Nationals on May 23, 2025.
The new baseball season brings new challenges. For San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, that means honing his craft to learn a new position. Sort of.
The Korean star has cemented himself on the Giants‘ roster, whether it’s raking at the plate or diving for long balls in center field. Janie McCauley of the Associated Press reported on Friday that some of that could be changing, with Lee preparing to shift to right field for the Giants in 2026.
Why the Giants Need Lee in Right Field
Jung Hoo Lee has been San Francisco’s starting centerfielder since joining the team in 2024. Up until last summer, he predominantly played with Heliot Ramos patrolling left field and Mike Yastrzemski holding down right.
Yastrzemski’s departure at the trade deadline last season, however, left a vacancy below the “Levi’s Landing” signage at Oracle Park. Now that San Francisco has signed centerfielder Harrison Bader to a two-year contract, Lee is logging extra time to fine-tune his skills for right-field work.
“There’s a lot of communication going on throughout these practices and also these drills that happen in the outfield,” Lee told the Associated Press on Friday, speaking through interpreter Justin Han. “As more time goes by, I would love to spend more time with Bader and communicate.”
The Associated Press adds that Lee, who will play center field for Korea in the World Baseball Classic, is practicing at the Giants’ minor league complex in Arizona. The complex’s right field reportedly mirrors the vast right field at Oracle Park.
“He’s a diligent worker, so he’s always focused, and I think everything that you would put under the category of him getting to know Bader and taking on the right field challenge full head of steam and all that is just [that] he wants to win,” Giants manager Tony Vitello said. “He’s pretty adamant about winning.”
As far as Lee and Bader building a working relationship, Vitello added: “It’s hard not to bond with Jungy, he’s as easy to get along with as anybody. And yet he takes his craft very seriously.”
Jung Hoo Lee’s Tenure with the Giants
Lee signed a six-year, $113 million contract with San Francisco in December 2023. He became an instant hit with fans, but his rookie campaign was cut short after he dislocated his shoulder crashing into the outfield fence. Lee had played just 37 games, but needed season-ending surgery.
In his full-season return in 2025, Lee slashed .266/.327/.407 with eight home runs and 55 RBI on 149 hits in 150 games. (The AP notes that 144 of those games were played in center field.) His bat swooned in June and July, but he ended the season on a high note with a .315/.367/.425 September slash line.
Giants’ upcoming schedule
The San Francisco Giants kick off their spring training schedule on Saturday, Feb. 21, with an away Cactus League game against the Seattle Mariners. They will kick off the 2026 season with a special three-game homestand against Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees on Wednesday, March 25.
Neither team has announced its starting lineups yet. It’s highly likely, however, that Jung Hoo Lee will be hitting toward the top of the batting order and making his regular-season debut in right field.
Chelena Goldman Chelena is a San Francisco-based sports writer and reporter covering multiple sports for heavy.com. The former NHL.com and NBC Sports writer spent 11 years covering the San Jose Sharks, while also covering sporting events locally and internationally. Her other major credits include CBS Sports and Athlon. More about Chelena Goldman
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