South Korean infielder Hwang Jae-gyun is back with the San Francisco Giants after spending six days in the minor leagues.
The Giants recalled Hwang from Triple-A Sacramento on Friday (local time), just six days after optioning him to the minors. It was also Hwang's 30th birthday.
Hwang had to spend at least 10 days there unless he was replacing an injured player. The Giants placed right-hander Chris Stratton on the disabled list with a calf injury to make room for Hwang.
Hwang batted sixth and played third base in his first game back, and made a quick impression by driving in a run and scoring another.
With the Giants trailing 2-1 in the top seventh, Hwang bounced a single up the middle to bring home the tying run. He came around to score the go-ahead run on a double by Nick Hundley, his slide just beating the relay throw home.
He ended up 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
The Giants added another run in the seventh to lead 4-2 but promptly gave up four runs in the bottom half of the seventh to lose 6-4.
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In this Associated Press photo taken on July 28, 2017, Hwang Jae-gyun of the San Francisco Giants (R) is congratulated by Matt Moore after scoring a run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the teams` Major League Baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. (Yonhap) |
Hwang, who bats right-handed, is also expected to be in the lineup when the Dodgers send their South Korean left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin to the mound Sunday. The Giants will also face another southpaw, Rich Hill, in Saturday's game.
Hwang and Ryu both started their pro careers in the Korea Baseball Organization before moving to the United States. Hwang batted .289 (13-for-45) against Ryu during their KBO careers.
Hwang signed with the Giants in January and began the season in Triple-A. He was called up on June 28 and homered in his first big league game on the same day. By the time of his demotion, though, Hwang was batting .167 with a home run and three RBIs in 13 games, including a 6-for-36 slump in July.
The Giants had an opening at third base after trading Eduardo Nunez to the Boston Red Sox for two pitchers Wednesday. Two third base prospects within the Giants, Christian Arroyo and Ryder Jones, are on the mend with hand injuries.
In Triple-A, Hwang batted .290 with seven homers and 45 RBIs in 71 games. In addition to third base, Hwang has played at first base and in left field. (Yonhap)
