'Will Go Woo-seok return to LG? → NO! "Unwavering, ready for another challenge"... Eligible for call-up at least 15 days later → Even if he returns to Korea, cannot play in the postseason

*This content was translated by AI.

The future of Go Woo-seok (28) has drawn intense attention. Although he fulfilled his dream of making his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut, he was demoted to the minor leagues after just four games, and his former team, LG Twins, has shown deep interest in his progress. Nevertheless, it is expected that Go Woo-seok will not be able to contribute to LG during the autumn playoffs.

A baseball official familiar with Go Woo-seok's situation told StarNews on the 24th, "Go Woo-seok remains unshaken despite his demotion to the minors," and added, "He is determined to persistently pursue another challenge in the big leagues."

Go Woo-seok was traded for cash earlier this month from the Detroit Tigers to the Minnesota Twins. Having first challenged the U.S. stage in 2024, Go Woo-seok finally made his big league debut on the 10th.

In his long-awaited big league debut, he allowed one home run but pitched a solid inning with spirited performance. He then delivered scoreless outings in the following two games and recorded his first hold in the big leagues. He also demonstrated his outstanding strikeout ability.

The fourth game was disappointing. In the game against the Cleveland Guardians on the 21st, he recorded two strikeouts but allowed four hits including one home run, giving up three earned runs. The next day, he headed to St. Paul Saints, the Triple-A affiliate of Minnesota.

In Korea, speculation arose about Go Woo-seok's potential return to LG Twins following his demotion. It is not impossible. LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop has openly stated that if Go Woo-seok wishes to return, it would be a great help to the team. After closer Yoo Young-chan, who had been performing exceptionally well at the start of the season, was ruled out for the rest of the year, LG executive director Cha Myeong-seok traveled to the U.S. in April and held a meeting with Go Woo-seok. However, even at that time, Go Woo-seok expressed his intention to challenge the big leagues, making his return off the table.

Having achieved his long-awaited big league debut and felt the high wall of competition, if he feels he has enough on his own, he might consider returning to Korea.

However, Go Woo-seok's situation is not so desperate. Although he was sent to the minor leagues, his name remains on the 40th-man roster, and he was demoted via an option designation to St. Paul. According to MLB.com, players included in the 40th-man roster are granted three minor league options, which is the right for a player to be sent to the minor leagues without going through waivers.

Of course, it appears he will seek another opportunity at Triple-A for the time being. In the KBO League, a player demoted to the second division must spend at least ten days in the Futures League before returning, but MLB has some differences. MLB.com states, "For position players, if they are demoted to the minor leagues, they must stay there for ten days before becoming eligible to return to the big league roster," and specifies that "for pitchers, it is a minimum of 15 days."

Given Go Woo-seok's clear intention to challenge the big leagues again, he will only become eligible for a recall after completing at least 15 days unless there is a special circumstance such as being called up as the 27th player in a doubleheader or replacing an injured player on the disabled list.

A serious problem arises here regarding the scenario of returning to LG. The best scenario for a return to LG has a deadline. Registration must be completed by the 31st to be eligible to play in the postseason. While registration can still be done afterward and he could participate in remaining regular-season games, he would become ineligible to play in the autumn playoffs. For LG, where advancing to the playoffs is already a certainty, bringing Go Woo-seok back might only allow them to use him as a half-measure.

Go Woo-seok plans to endure at least 15 days in the minor leagues while waiting for a call from Minnesota. Even if he is not called up by Minnesota after 15 days or if his re-challenge results are unsatisfactory, it is difficult to see significant benefit for Go Woo-seok in returning to Korea. No matter how familiar the KBO League stage may be, switching leagues mid-season would inevitably be burdensome, and with three months remaining until the end of the season after three consecutive years of challenges, it is not easy to find a reason for him to make the decision to return to Korea now.

Most importantly, having achieved his long-awaited dream of becoming a big leaguer and personally experienced the gap between imagination and reality, he is reportedly determined to address his shortcomings and test his abilities once again.

He has already proven himself at Triple-A this season. In 19 games spanning 27⅔ innings, he recorded three wins, one loss, two saves, and three holds with an ERA of 2.60. His strikeouts totaled 32, exceeding his innings pitched, while walks were limited to just 11, about one-third of his innings. His batting average against was 0.162, and his WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) was 0.98, proving he is a player capable of performing at the minor league level, which led to Minnesota's selection. If he continues to perform stably at Triple-A, he can certainly aim for another call-up opportunity.

At present, it is true that Go Woo-seok's return to Korea this season does not appear very realistic.

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*This content was translated by AI.