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KT Wiz sign outfielder Andrew Stevenson, release Mel Rojas Jr.

Published: 02 Aug. 2025, 14:18 Updated: 03 Aug. 2025, 13:57

The KT Wiz announce the signing of Andrew Stevenson in a post on Instagram. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The KT Wiz announced the signing of former major league outfielder Andrew Stevenson on Saturday.

In a corresponding move, the KBO club released outfielder Mel Rojas Jr., who had played parts of six seasons with the Wiz in two stints.

The Wiz said Stevenson, 31, will make $200,000 for the rest of the season.

He was a second-round choice by the Washington Nationals in the 2015 Major League draft and made his MLB debut with them two years later.

He stayed with the Nationals until 2021. Following a full 2022 season in the minors, Stevenson joined the Minnesota Twins as a free agent in 2023.

Stevenson played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball last year before returning to the United States to join the Durham Bulls, the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.

In 273 career MLB games, Stevenson batted .243 with eight home runs, 50 RBIs and 55 runs scored.

He had 53 homers and 252 RBIs with a .290 batting average in seven Triple-A campaigns. In 24 games in Japan, Stevenson batted .161 without a homer or an RBI.

"Stevenson is a gap hitter who can drive the ball all over the field and a versatile defender who can handle all three outfield positions," Wiz general manager Na Do-hyun said. "We expect him to help the club with his bat, his defense and his baserunning."

Na also thanked Rojas for his contributions over the years. The 35-year-old was in the midst of a down year, with a .239 batting average, 14 homers and 43 RBIs in 95 games.

In 2024, Rojas hit .329 with team highs of 32 homers and 112 RBIs.

Rojas first played for the Wiz from 2017 to 2020 and won the regular-season MVP award in 2020, when he had 47 homers, 135 RBIs and a .349 average. He went on to play in Japan, Mexico and the Dominican Republic before rejoining the Wiz for the 2024 season.

The switch-hitting slugger holds the record for most home runs by a foreign player in KBO history with 178.

Yonhap