Jung Hoo Lee Ends Giants Spring Training with Blast to Boost Expectations

The San Francisco Giants wrapped up spring training on Saturday and outfielder Jung Hoo Lee finished things off with a blast.

The Korean outfielder hit his first spring training home run, a solo blast on a 93.3 mph fastball that he slammed into the right-center field alley to give San Francisco a 7-0 lead at the time.

It was a fitting end to a busy spring for the third-year MLB star. He batted leadoff, went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored and finished with a slash of .455/.500/.727 in eight spring training games.

The exhibition slate isn’t done yet. But Lee looks like he’s ready for the regular season.

Jung Hoo Lee’s Critical Year in San Francisco

Jung Hoo Lee clubs a home run 💪 pic.twitter.com/IM8nLncOg2
— MLB (@MLB) March 21, 2026

Lee was gone for part of spring training as he played for Team Korea in the World Baseball classic. He helped them get out of pool play with a slash of .238/.273/.333. Korea lost to the Dominican Republic in the quarterfinals.

Now, he and the Giants break camp and head to Sacramento to face their Triple-A affiliate in an exhibition game on Sunday. Following that, San Francisco will head back to the Bay Area and host Gigantes for two games on Monday and Tuesday. Then, it’s opening day against the New York Yankees on Wednesday in a game that will be streamed on Netflix.

This could be a critical season for Lee. Signed to a six-year deal before the 2024 season, he missed much of his rookie campaign due to an injury. He flashed the bat that San Francisco hoped he would bring to the Bay Area last season, but he's been a defensive liability in center field.

In two seasons and 187 games he’s slashed .265/.324/.391 with 10 home runs and 63 RBI. On defense, he played to minus-20 defensive runs saved and minus-6 outs above average in center field. It’s the reason why the Giants signed Harrison Bader in the offseason, installed him as the center field starter and moved Lee to right field.

It was an effort to keep Lee’s bat in the order and make the outfield defense better overall. Bader is a former National League Gold Glove winner in center field. He left Friday’s game with hamstring tightness, so his status bears watching in the lead-up to opening day. If he can’t go, it’s not clear if Lee will move back to center field temporarily.

Lee’s bat is clearly ready for the regular season. Between his WBC slash and his spring training slash, he’s batting better than .300 in the lead-up to the regular season.