Former Rangers hurler Hyeon-jong Yang apparently won’t be giving MLB a second go. Yoo Jee-ho of the Yonhap News Agency reports that Yang is likely to return to the Korea Baseball Organization. Before signing with Texas earlier this year, Yang spent 14 seasons with the KBO’s Kia Tigers. Representatives for the team recently told reporters that Yang expressed interest in rejoining the club and that they would attempt to re-sign him.
Now 33 years old, Yang enjoyed a great deal of success with Kia, including winning the regular season and Korean Series MVP trophies in 2017. He appeared in 425 games with the Tigers, posting a 147-95 record and 3.83 ERA.
Unfortunately, those numbers didn’t translate well to the big leagues. Yang signed a minor league deal with Texas on February 12 of this year. He didn’t break camp with the Rangers, but was called up on April 26. He appeared in eight games over the next seven weeks, including four starts, but was mostly ineffective. Over 29 innings he put up a 5.59 ERA and 6.55 FIP. He was then designated for assignment, cleared waivers and assigned to the Round Rock Express, Texas’ Triple-A affiliate. He spent the rest of the season bouncing between Round Rock and Arlington, with similar results.
After being outrighted to Round Rock in mid-September, Yang elected to become a free agent on October 4, setting up a possible return to the KBO.