Kiwoom Heroes' An Woo-jin, who balanced his military service with rehabilitation after elbow surgery to return for the 2026 season, needed a lengthy period to return to the mound after suffering an unexpected injury during training last year. Recalling those difficult times, he confessed, "It would be a lie to say I wasn't lost and overwhelmed."

Kiwoom, which has finished last in the league for three consecutive years, is taking a positive view of the fact that An Woo-jin has consistently secured a spot in the starting rotation this season, bolstering the mound. However, there are also regrettable aspects: despite the team's lineup showing signs of life recently, they remain in the lower standings with luck not on their side, and the team's performance declined while An Woo-jin was sidelined.

Having returned healthy, An Woo-jin currently holds a 3.70 ERA with 92 strikeouts and a .246 batting average against in 16 games this season. While he is evaluated as putting up meaningful numbers in his first year back, there are also views that his performance falls somewhat short of the high expectations befitting one of the league's top aces. The Kiwoom organization is also placing greater emphasis on maintaining the player's health, such as pitch count management, rather than immediate results. An Woo-jin shared his experience of struggling early in the season due to a slow recovery, saying, "Not being in pain is my biggest goal this year."

An Woo-jin's trend has continued into the second half of the season. He posted a 3.71 ERA over his last three games, allowing back-to-back home runs against KIA on the 24th of last month and LG on the 30th. Manager Seol Jong-jin addressed the situation in which the lead was surrendered during the LG game, saying, "He was pitching well, but one mistake pitch happened," noting that An is still adapting to the Automatic Ball-Strike (ABS) system.

Nevertheless, Manager Seol highly praised the fact that An Woo-jin has not reported any unusual pain in his shoulder or elbow since returning from surgery. Manager Seol explained, "He doesn't have many wins as a starter, but just by working through the rotation, it is helping both the team and the player himself."

He added, "Because he is in a phase of accumulating experience, I expect him to show a better form next year than this year," viewing An Woo-jin's future steps positively despite the burden of living up to the weight of the crown. Manager Seol reiterated his anticipation, stating, "It is a process of building experience while going through surgery and pain."