Seoul: In a surprising move, the defending South Korean baseball champions LG Twins released setup man Yacksel Rios on Tuesday, about a month after acquiring the fireballer from Puerto Rico. The Twins announced they are in the final stages of contract negotiations with a new foreign pitcher to take Rios' spot in their staff.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Twins acquired Rios on June 3, initially choosing him to replace the struggling starting pitcher Yonny Chirinos with a bullpen arm. Rios made his Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) debut a week later and recorded a 3.63 ERA with five holds and two saves in 14 outings. He struck out 17 batters in 17 1/3 innings, delivering overpowering fastballs that quickly earned the praise of his manager, Youm Kyoung-youb, who once touted Rios as one of the KBO's top relief pitchers.
However, the team, currently facing a season-worst five-game losing streak that saw them fall from first to third in the standings, decided to release the league's hardest-throwing reliever, who was averaging over 157 kilometers per hour with his fastball. The LG Twins are expected to sign a starting pitcher to strengthen their injury-depleted rotation.