Padres’ pitcher Go Woo-suk to begin season in Double-A

The San Diego Padres' South Korean reliever Go Woo-suk will begin his season in Double-A. The San Antonio Missions, the Double-A affiliate of the Padres, announced their initial roster of 28 players for the 2024 season Tuesday (local time). Their season starts Friday. Go is the only player among the 28 who is on the Padres' 40-man roster. This means Go has three minor league "options." Each option allows a player to be sent to the minors without having to be placed on waivers first. Go, after pitching for the LG Twins in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) over the past seven years, signed a two-year, US$4.5 million contract with the Padres in January. However, Go had a shorter offseason than most other players, after pitching into mid-November during the Twins' Korean Series title run and making multiple trips between South Korea and the United States to finalize his Padres deal. With an understanding that Go would need more time to prepare for major league challenges, the Padres first optioned Go to Triple-A El Paso on March 20, while they were in Seoul to play their season-opening series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres then sent him further down to Double-A San Antonio, though Go can still jump directly from there to San Diego. Go had said back on March 20 he was determined to "keep working hard" so he could make it to the majors at some point during the 2024 season. In explaining the Padres' decision to demote Go, manager Mike Shildt said at the time: "We are confident that he's going to help us at some point in the season. He has made really nice adjustments as the spring has gone not only with the new baseball, the competition, the culture, everything. He has done a really nice job." In San Antonio, Go is joined by a fellow KBO alum, former Lotte Giants outfielder Zach Reks. Source: Yonhap News Agency