The Sacramento River Cats will have a pair of new third basemen arriving in town on Tuesday.
After signing a Minor League contract with the Giants on Saturday, Pablo Sandoval will head to Sacramento in an attempt to prove himself and show that he’s capable of helping San Francisco at the Major League level.
Sandoval, though, will have company.
On Monday evening, John Shea of The San Francisco Chronicle reported that 29-year-old infielder Jae-gyun Hwang will accept his option to Sacramento and rejoin the River Cats on Tuesday.
Hwang was optioned by the Giants on Saturday to make room for outfielder Orlando Calixte, but it was unclear whether Hwang planned to return to the River Cats or head home to South Korea. Hwang signed a Minor League contract with the Giants this offseason to pursue his dream of playing professionally in the United States after a successful run as a star third baseman in the Korean Baseball Organization.
After an impressive Spring Training with the Giants, Hwang was assigned to AAA Sacramento where he hit seven home runs and drove in a team-high 44 runs during the first three months of the season. With Eduardo Nunez and Conor Gillaspie both on the disabled list in late June, the Giants finally called Hwang up to the big leagues to give him a long-awaited shot at the next level.
In Hwang’s MLB debut, he clubbed his first career home run and helped lead a struggling Giants team to a win, but failed to produce much offensively in the coming weeks. Though Hwang played a strong third base, he recorded just six hits in 36 at-bats before San Francisco decided to option him back to AAA.
Because of Hwang’s unique status as a South Korean star, it was unclear whether he would accept a demotion or opt to return home, but Shea reported that Hwang will attempt to earn another chance.
With Hwang’s arrival coinciding with Sandoval’s, the River Cats will likely use Hwang at a number of different positions, including left field and first base, two spots he played earlier this season.