BASEBALL/Teng Kai-wei to start against Mets Sunday

Taipei, Aug. 2 (CNA) Teng Kai-wei (鄧愷威) of the San Francisco Giants is set to take the mound in New York on Sunday for his 2025 MLB season debut against the Mets' Kodai Senga.

Teng was listed as the Giants' starting pitcher on MLB's official website, following a Friday post on the team's X account (formerly Twitter) announcing that the right-hander had been called up from Triple-A.

According to the post, the Taiwanese pitcher was one of four Giants involved in roster moves following the franchise's trade deadline deals, which included the departures of relievers Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval, and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski.

This marks Teng's second call-up to the majors.

In the 2024 season, he struggled as a long reliever, recording a 9.82 ERA over 11 innings pitched across four appearances for the Giants. During that stretch, he struck out seven, walked eight, and allowed 15 hits, including two home runs.

He was subsequently demoted to Triple-A before being designated for assignment in November. The Giants re-signed him to a minor league contract in December and invited him to spring training earlier this year.

Teng, the first Taiwanese pitcher in Giants history, is enjoying his best season at the Triple-A level since debuting there in 2023. His 3.67 ERA and 1.111 WHIP are both his lowest since 2021.

He has also racked up 86 strikeouts over 54 innings this season for Triple-A Sacramento, staying hot since July. In 17 1/3 innings pitched during the month, he posted a 0.52 ERA and recorded 31 strikeouts.

His improvement in command -- with fastball in particular -- earned him the recognition of Giants manager Bob Melvin.

"His breaking stuff's always been really good, he's commanded his fastball a lot better, and he's throwing the breaking ball for strikes and getting ahead. He's always had good stuff," Melvin was quoted as saying by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Grant McCray, Teng's Sacramento teammate who was also recalled to the majors, commended Teng's rebound after a "tough go" last season.

"This year he's come back and his stuff looks electric. Honestly, watching him from center field has been fun."

Teng, who wore No. 70 during his last MLB stint, has switched to No. 66 for his return to the majors. He is the second Taiwanese player to reach the majors this season.

Earlier in April, infield utility man Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲) of the Pittsburgh Pirates had a sojourn in the majors before being optioned back to the team's Triple-A affiliate.