S. Korean reliever Go Woo-suk signs minor league deal with Detroit Tigers

A week after being released by one U.S. team, South Korean pitcher Go Woo-suk has landed a deal with another.

The Detroit Tigers announced Tuesday (U.S. local time) they have signed Go to a minor league contract and assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens.

Go, 26, was released by the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, the Triple-A team of the Miami Marlins, last Tuesday after pitching to a 1.59 ERA over 5 2/3 innings in five appearances.

He had been working his way back from a broken index finger he suffered in February as a non-roster invitee to the Marlins’ spring training, an injury that cost him a chance to compete for a bullpen spot on the Opening Day roster.

Go first moved to the United States in January 2024, signing a two-year contract with the San Diego Padres following seven seasons with the LG Twins in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). From 2019 to 2023, Go, known for his hard fastball and slider, led all KBO relievers with 139 saves and ranked second with 334 strikeouts.

The Padres opened the 2024 regular season with a two-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Seoul, but Go failed to make their Opening Day roster and instead started the season in the minors.

Go never reached the majors with the Padres, who traded him to the Marlins in May 2024.

The Marlins also kept him in the minors and then cut ties with him this month.

Go’s release led to speculation that he might choose to come home. Because Go went through the posting process to sign with the Padres, the Twins still had rights to him, and Go would have had to sign only with them if he had decided to return to the KBO.

Ultimately, though, Go decided to keep knocking on the doors of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Prior to Tuesday’s action, the Tigers were leading the American League (AL) Central at 49-30, the best record in MLB.

They had the third-best ERA among 15 AL teams with 3.50, but they ranked only 10th in the league in the bullpen ERA with 3.81. Their relievers rank dead last in the AL with 7.68 strikeouts per nine innings.

Go is the brother-in-law of San Francisco Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo.