BASEBALL/Taiwanese pitcher Teng Kai-wei called up by MLB's Giants

Los Angeles, March 29 (CNA) The San Francisco Giants promoted Teng Kai-wei (鄧愷威) from Triple-A Sacramento River Cats on Friday, making him the 17th Taiwan-born player named to a Major League Baseball (MLB) roster.

Luke Jackson's injury opened up a bullpen spot for Teng, who could be in line to make his major league debut this weekend, the Giants said in a news release.

The right-hander was acquired from the Minnesota Twins as part of the Sam Dyson trade in 2019. Last season, Teng recorded a 4.42 ERA across 29 appearances (28 starts) between Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento, the Giants said.

He is currently the only active Taiwanese player in the MLB, and the 17th player from Taiwan to reach the majors since Chen Chin-feng (陳金鋒) in 2002.

Originally from Taichung and a graduate of Kaohsiung's Kao-Yuan Vocational High School of Technology & Commerce, Teng signed a contract with the Twins' organization in 2017 and made his professional debut with its rookie-level Gulf Coast League Twins the following year.

According to an MLB scouting report, Teng is able to mix four different pitches, including a fastball, slider, curve and changeup.

In the past two to three years, he has developed a "well above average slider," the report said.

The Giants will play its third game against the San Diego Padres at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday (Eastern Time Zone).