Lotte Giants sign Zach Reks to replace DJ Peters

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Lotte Giants sign Zach Reks to replace DJ Peters

Zach Reks, then of the Texas Rangers, scores against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning of a game at Globe Life Field on April 30.  [USA TODAY/YONHAP]

Zach Reks, then of the Texas Rangers, scores against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning of a game at Globe Life Field on April 30. [USA TODAY/YONHAP]

 
The Lotte Giants on Wednesday announced the signing of former major league outfielder Zach Reks for $310,000 after waiving KBO rookie DJ Peters a day earlier.
 
Reks, 28, made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers last year before moving to the Texas Rangers this year. He made a total of 22 appearances over the last two season, the majority with the Rangers, but spent most of his time playing in the minors.
 
For the Rangers this season, Reks appeared in 16 games, picking up nine hits with three RBIs and a .265 batting average. In the minors, Reks has made 34 appearances this season for the Round Rock Express, the same team that Kia Tigers pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong regularly played for last season, where he has picked up 40 hits for 21 RBIs and six home runs for a .331 batting average.
 
Reks replaces Peters, who joined the Giants in December last year on a one-year deal worth up to $680,000. He joined the KBO just months after making his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was seen at the time as a relatively unusual signing as he arrived in Korea not as an aging slugger, as is often the case, but as a speedy 25-year-old that could use his experience here as a stepping stone to return to the majors.
 
But while Peters leaves the Giants with a .228 batting average, 48 RBIs and 13 home runs, he failed to live up to expectations in defense. He was expected to be a strong, fast presence in the outfield, but ended up posting some of the worst numbers on defense of any center fielder in the KBO.
 
Peters is the latest in a long run of foreign players to face the chop over the last month as KBO teams look to shake things up before they start their final run on a playoff spot. The league is currently in the middle of the All-Star break with games set to resume on Friday.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]
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