Twins officially release first baseman Byung-ho Park
The Minnesota Twins have officially released first baseman Byung-ho Park, who will return home and rejoin his former South Korean club of the Korea Baseball Organization.
The Nexen Heroes reportedly agreed to sign Park to a one-year deal worth $1.4 million for the 2018 season.
Minnesota signed Park just over two years ago (Dec. 2, 2015) after winning his exclusive negotiating rights by posting a $12.8 million bid, eventually signing him to a four-year, $12 million contract.
Park displayed his prodigious power at times, but could not hit consistently at the major-league level. He appeared in just 62 games with the Twins in 2016, hitting .191 with 12 home runs and 24 RBI with 80 strikeouts in 215 at-bats before being demoted to Triple-A Rochester, where he underwent season-ending surgery on his right hand.
Taken off Minnesota’s 40-man roster in February by Minnesota's new front office, Park spent all of last season with the Red Wings, batting .253 with 14 home runs and 60 RBI in 111 games.
