After a spate of foreign player releases since the start of the season, Korean baseball organizations are bringing back players they’ve worked with in the past.
Following KT’s reacquisition of Cuevas, Doosan reunited with Brandon after an eight-month absence.
Could this be a stroke of genius?
Cuevas was the choice of KT, which has been hovering at the bottom of the standings since the beginning of this season, to fill the void left by the released foreign pitcher Schuler.
Cuevas, who was a key contributor to the franchise’s inaugural unified championship two years ago, returned after a year of playing in the Mexican league and American professional baseball’s minor leagues after being sidelined last year with an elbow injury.
Cuevas, who began personal training a day after arriving in the country, is expected to pitch this weekend in a series of home games.
Doosan, which released foreign pitcher Dylan, also reached out to Brandon, who served as a substitute last year, after eight months.
For a club that had already tasted the failure of bringing in new players, Brandon was the best realistic option.
Brandon is expected to arrive on the 16th and pitch as early as next week.
Five foreign players have already been released this season due to injury or poor performance.
Of the four who have found replacements, two are re-entry cases.
This season, Doosan’s Alcantara, Lotte’s Streeley, and Kiwoom Russell all left Korea and were rehired by their respective clubs after one or two years.먹튀검증
Experience in the domestic league is seen as a plus, especially as replacements who need to step in mid-season have a shorter adjustment period.
It remains to be seen whether the reintroduction card will lead to a rebound in performance.
Meanwhile, after dropping two foreigners in the opening two months, Hanwha is still searching for a replacement for batsman O’Grady, whom it released late last month, and reportedly isn’t considering a reintroduction.