Bae Ji-hwan returns to MLB with Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers pinch hitter Bae Ji-hwan lays down a bunt in the seventh inning of the MLB game between the Minnesota Twins and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Sunday. UPI-Yonhap
Bae Ji-hwan has marked his return to the majors with a single for the Milwaukee Brewers, just days after being released by a minor league team.
Bae put down a bunt single and had a sacrifice bunt in two trips to the plate for the Brewers in their 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Sunday (local time).
The Brewers signed Bae earlier in the day and immediately put him on their active roster. The move came five days after Bae was released by the Syracuse Mets, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets.
Against the Twins, Bae entered the game in the top of the seventh inning as a defensive replacement at second base, with starter Brice Turang moving from second to shortstop. This was Bae's first game in the majors since September last year.
Then in his first plate appearance in the bottom seventh, Bae had a bunt single for his first major league hit since May 2025.
Bae added a sacrifice bunt in the bottom ninth to move a runner to second, though the Brewers failed to score then. They got the winning run across in the bottom 10th.
The Brewers own the best record in the majors this year at 74-44.
In Triple-A this year, Bae batted .257 with five home runs, 32 RBIs and 36 steals in 91 games. The 27-year-old offers speed and defensive versatility. He has played second base, shortstop and all three outfield positions in his major league career, and logged time at second base and the three outfield positions in the minors this year.
Bae is now the fourth Korean player currently on a major league roster, joining Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants, Kim Ha-seong of the Atlanta Braves and Song Sung-mun of the San Diego Padres.
Bae signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates out of high school in 2018 and made his major league debut with them four years later. In 2023, Bae played in a career-high 111 games, but was limited to 42 games combined over the next two seasons.