Veteran outfielder Rafael Ortega (32), who was rumoured to be heading to the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO, has become a free agent.

“Ortega has been released by the Texas Rangers,” MLB Trade Rumours, an American media outlet that covers player transfers, reported on the 8th (Korea time).

The Venezuelan right-handed hitting outfielder made his major league debut in 2012 with the Colorado Rockies. He went on to play for the Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, and Atlanta Braves before joining the Chicago Cubs in 2021, batting .291 with 11 home runs, 33 RBI, 12 doubles, and an OPS of .823 in 103 games. In his major league career, he batted .250 with 21 homers, 101 RBIs, 41 doubles and a .683 OPS in 364 games.메이저사이트

His breakout season didn’t last long, however, and he bounced around the minors with the New York Yankees and Texas, not returning to the majors until 2022. This season, he appeared in 44 games at Triple-A, batting .226 with five home runs, 26 RBIs and a .714 OPS. In 1,165 career minor league games, Ortega is batting .289 with 77 home runs, 475 RBI, 267 doubles and a .782 OPS.

Ortega recently drew interest as a possible replacement for midseason released foreign-born slugger Brian O’Grady after it was discovered that he followed Hanwha’s official Instagram account. However, Ortega’s recent poor performance in the minor leagues and the presence of other players on Hanwha’s watch list have left his chances of making it to the KBO unclear. Now that he is a free agent, it will be interesting to see what Ortega does with his options, whether he stays in a Hanwha uniform as rumoured or tries to break into the big leagues again.