Preston Tucker,메이저사이트 who played for the KIA Tigers in the KBO League, bombarded the minor league Triple-A, and signed a major league contract with the San Diego Padres, eating rice with Kim Ha-seong.
‘MLB.com’ reported on the 19th (Korean time) that the San Diego Padres had signed a major league contract with Preston Tucker. Tucker was moved to the disabled list (IL) at the same time as his major league contract.
Tucker is a well-known figure to domestic fans. This is because he is the older brother of Houston Astros Kyle Turkang and also played in the KBO League. Prior to the 2019 season, Tucker stepped on the stage of the KBO League by signing a contract with the KIA Tigers. Tucker played in 95 games in his first season and made a splendid debut with 111 hits, 9 home runs, 50 RBIs, and a batting average of 0.311 OPS of 0.860.
His good flow continued into his second year. Tucker played in 142 games in the 2020 season and had a “career high” season with 166 hits, 32 homers, 113 RBIs, 100 runs and a batting average of 0.955. As a result, he will accompany KIA for the 2021 season as well. However, his performance in the third season was disappointing. Tucker only played 127 games due to sluggishness and injuries, and stayed with a batting average of 0.237 OPS and 0.684. As a result, Tucker could no longer accompany KIA and returned to the United States.
After parting ways with the KIA, Tucker signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves and played in 75 games at Triple-A last year, recording 72 hits, 9 homers, 47 RBIs, 37 runs, a batting average of 0.267, and an OPS of 0.773. Didn’t get a league call. And ahead of this season, he signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres and made a fresh start.
His performance in the San Diego-affiliated Triple A El Paso Chihuahuas reminded him of his appearance in the KBO League in the 2020 season. Tucker took part in 44 games this year, with 52 hits, 10 homers, 36 RBIs, 43 runs, a batting average of 0.342 OPS and 1.126, literally ‘bombing’ Triple A and soaring.
Tucker is out of line due to a recent foot injury. However, San Diego decided to hold on to Tucker, who had a remarkable performance in Triple-A, before leaving the team through an ‘opt-out’. Because of this, Tucker was moved to the injured list at the same time he signed a major league contract with San Diego.
If Tucker returns from the injured list, he is expected to eat rice with Kim Ha-seong, whom he only met as an enemy for three seasons in the KBO League. Since San Diego has a solid outfield lineup of Trent Grisham, Juan Soto, and Fernando Tatis Jr., it is expected that he will mainly play as a big defense or pinch hitter.
Meanwhile, Tucker made his debut with the Houston Astros in 2015 and played 243 games over three seasons, including playing for the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds, with 133 hits, 23 home runs, 68 RBIs, and 65 runs batting average of 0.222 OPS of 0.684. Will Tucker be able to show a good trend in Triple A even on the big league stage after recovering from his injury?