Jung Hoo Lee got himself into some trouble while returning from his native South Korea this week.
The San Francisco Giants outfielder Lee was detained on Wednesday evening by U.S. Customs and Border Protection while at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, Calif., per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Lee’s agent Scott Boras called the situation a matter of “just paperwork” and added that they were “attempting to resolve it.”
Lee was reportedly arriving back in the United States before a scheduled appearance at Giants’ Fan Fest in San Ramon, Calif. on Saturday. A spokesperson for the office of U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi also said that they were “actively” working to get the Lee situation resolved.
You can read Slusser’s full report on the matter here.
The 27-year-old Lee signed with the Giants before the 2024 season after spending the previous seven seasons with the Nexen / Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO League in South Korea. During his time with the Heroes, Lee was a six-time All-Star, a five-time Golden Glove winner, a two-time batting champion, and the KBO League MVP in 2022.
Lee, who signed a six-year, $113 million deal with San Francisco, lost almost his entire first season due to injury. Last season though, Lee fared much better, batting .266 with eight homers, 55 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases through 150 games (even adding some impressive defense in the outfield as well).
