baseball club-player

▲ New Lotte Giants player Niko Goodrum poses in the Korea Baseball Organization club's uniform after signing his contract, in this photo provided by the Giants on July 11, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ New Lotte Giants player Niko Goodrum signs his contract with the Korea Baseball Organization club, in this photo provided by the Giants on July 11, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

baseball club-player

Lotte Giants sign ex-MLB player Niko Goodrum

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, July 11 (Yonhap) -- The Lotte Giants announced their signing of former major league player Niko Goodrum on Tuesday.

Goodrum agreed to a US$400,000 contract for the rest of this Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season to replace Zach Reks, who has been hobbled by a knee injury since mid-May.

Goodrum, 31, has played 402 games in the majors for three clubs, the Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros from 2017 to 2022.

He had his best offensive years with the Tigers, putting up 16 homers, 53 RBIs and 12 steals in 2018, and then 12 homers, 45 RBIs and 12 steals in 2019.

A switch-hitter at the plate, the right-handed throwing Goodrum has played every position except pitcher and catcher in the majors. He has logged the most innings at shortstop and second base.

He has been playing in Triple-A for the Boston Red Sox this season, batting .280/.448/.440 with eight home runs, 36 RBIs and seven steals in 65 games.

The Giants said Goodrum is scheduled to arrive in South Korea on Saturday and join the team for his first training Sunday. The KBO will go on an annual All-Star break from Friday until July 20. Goodrum is expected to make his KBO debut when the season resumes on July 21.

Reks batted .246 with four homers and 30 RBIs in 55 games this season. He joined the Giants as a midseason replacement for DJ Peters, and put up a strong .330/.410/.495 line with eight homers and 34 RBIs in 56 games.

It was enough to earn him a new deal for 2023, but he was undone by knee problems.

After a hot start to the season, the Giants have cooled off in recent weeks. Through the weekend, they were in fourth place at 38-37. They were 10 games over .500, at 27-17, at the end of May.

The Giants' 11-20 record since June 1 is the second-worst mark in the KBO.

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