Minnesota Twins' Park Byung-ho demoted to minor league

Minnesota Twins' Park Byung-ho demoted to minor league. February. 11, 2017 07:06. by Kyu-In Hwang kini@donga.com. Minnesota Twins designated hitter Park Byung-ho (photo) will eventually be spending his next few months at the Spring camp as a minor leaguer.

Major League club Minnesota Twins officially announced on Thursday that Park cleared the waiver, and thereby his contact has been transferred to AAA rochester. This came as a follow-up measure after Twins made its Designated For Assignment (DFA) decision to opt out Park from the Top-40 roster.

Waiver is the word pro baseball fans hear most frequently when a foreign player is let go during the season. This may sound like a similar term with "release" to many fans, but the two words are slightly different in its meanings. While "release" implies that a team will "bid farewell to a player for good," waiver stands for "it was the team's decision that this player no longer is a valuable asset, so those willing to buy the player should sign a contract."

There are times when a Major League club is required to announce waivers even when a Free Agent (FA) is sent to the Minor League. For Park, it was signing a contract as a FA in the Major League. However, Twins wishes to transfer this contract to the Minor League. In this case, the club must check whether other clubs require such players. This is a process designed for players to remain his status as a Major Leaguer, hence the waiver announcement. No club wanted Park even at the last minute.

Still, that does not mean that Park will no longer return to the Major League. Among the 62 players attending the upcoming Minnesota Spring camp, 25 seats are still left for the opening game. When Park survives as one of the last men standing, he may start his new season in the Major League.