The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Group introduced yesterday they’ve signed outfielder Ronnie Dawson to a contract for the rest of the 2023 season (h/t to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap Information). He’ll be paid an $85K wage by way of yr’s finish. In a corresponding transaction, the Heroes launched infielder Addison Russell.

Dawson, 28, acquired cups of espresso on the MLB stage in 2021-22. The Ohio State product debuted with three video games for the Astros — the membership that initially chosen him within the second spherical of the 2016 draft — late within the ’21 season. He returned to the majors for a one-game stint with the Reds final yr whereas the group was coping with COVID-19 points.

The left-handed hitter spent the remainder of final season with the Reds’ prime minor league membership in Louisville. He hit .252/.339/.394 with 11 homers and stolen bases apiece. He’d been enjoying within the unbiased ranks this yr. Dawson was off to a .282/.363/.512 begin with 13 longballs in 64 video games for the Atlantic League’s Lexington Counter Clocks.

Making the bounce to the KBO certainly comes with a pleasant pay bump. If he hits effectively on this audition, he might play his approach into one other deal there or in Japan’s Nippon Skilled Baseball for 2024. Dawson has scant MLB expertise however may put himself again on the massive league radar with a powerful KBO exhibiting, significantly if he does spend a number of seasons there.

Russell returns to free company after hitting .286/.339/.400 in 59 video games. Yoo notes that he hasn’t performed in practically a month due to a wrist damage. KBO groups are restricted to 3 foreign-born gamers on the roster, in order that they usually have a brief leash when a type of gamers is harm for a notable stretch of time. The previous Cub shortstop hasn’t performed within the majors since 2019 after serving a 40-game home violence suspension the yr prior.