Taiwanese Baseball Pitcher Wu Chun-wei Sent to Minors for Adjustment

The Chinese Professional Baseball (CPBL) league sees pitcher Wu Chun-wei demoted to the minor league for adjustments to his pitching mechanics. Wu, who was promoted to the first team on May 15, pitched 7.2 innings over 9 appearances before his June 22 return to the minors. This move reinstates veteran Lee Chen-chang as the team's closer.

Brothers manager Hirano Keiichi stated that Wu's demotion is not due to injury. Instead, he hopes other pitchers will seize this chance to establish themselves in the winning rotation during the second half of the season, potentially even taking over the closer role. Wu began the season in the minors due to slow adjustment progress. This season, he recorded 1 save and 2 holds but also suffered 1 loss and 2 blown saves, with a 5.87 ERA and 1.83 WHIP, his worst in four years.

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Wu Chun-wei's pitching mechanics and body balance feel a bit strange, so he's going down to the minor league to adjust.

Pitching coach Wang Chien-ming confirmed Wu is not injured and is simply adjusting his mechanics and body balance. Lee Chen-chang, who returns to the closer role, has 9 saves and 4 holds in 21 appearances this season, but also 4 losses. Hirano emphasized the importance of building a stable winning bullpen, noting that with Wu and Huang En-tzu unavailable, the team relies heavily on Lu Yen-ching and Lee. The team also drafted 11 rookies, including 6 pitchers, and hopes some can contribute in the second half, with particular attention on Japanese pitcher Koji Otaki to positively impact the pitching staff.

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How to build a stable winning bullpen is a major issue. The team actually has many pitchers, and now is a great opportunity to compete for playing time.