Giants' Lee Jung-hoo lands on 10-day IL with mid-back strain

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, May 23 (Yonhap) -- Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants has landed on the 10-day injured list (IL) with a mid-back strain.

The Giants placed him on the IL before hosting the Chicago White Sox at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Friday (local time). In a corresponding move, the Giants brought up outfielder Victor Bericoto from Triple-A Sacramento.

According to MLB.com, Giants manager Tony Vitello said Lee felt a "pinch" in his back during pregame work earlier this week and then felt the same sensation during his second at-bat against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Lee was forced to leave that game in the fourth inning and missed the next two contests with back spasms.

Although Lee felt better during the team's offday Thursday, the Giants still chose to give the South Korean outfielder more time to heal rather than rush him back to action.

Lee's move to the IL is retroactive to Tuesday and he will be eligible to rejoin the Giants next Friday, at the earliest.

"I think he feels immensely better than he did originally," Vitello told MLB.com, discussing Lee's condition. "But he still feels some of that grab. I think like a lot of our guys, part of it is guarding himself from himself. He's going to want to be out there no matter what, but it's never any fun when you do the old two steps forward, one step back with an injury like that."

In his third season, Lee was batting .268 with three home runs and 17 RBIs in 48 games. He batted .312 in April but was hitting just .221 for May before hitting the sidelines.