Padres call up Song Sung-mun from minors for Mexico City Series

MLB-S Korean player

Padres call up Song Sung-mun from minors for Mexico City Series

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, April 26 (Yonhap) -- The San Diego Padres have called up their new South Korean signing, Song Sung-mun, from the minor leagues for their Mexico City Series.

The Padres brought Song up from Triple-A El Paso before playing the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday (local time). Teams are permitted to carry a 27th player for international games, and the Padres chose to make Song their extra man.

Song signed a four-year contract with the Padres in December last year but began the season in the minors after an oblique injury slowed him during spring training.

"It's really exciting to be here," Song said through interpreter Jun Yi, according to MLB.com. "It's like a dream for me."

Song Sung-mun of the San Diego Padres prepares to hit against the Colorado Rockies during a spring training game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona, in this Getty Images file photo from Feb. 27, 2026. (Yonhap)

Song did not make the starting lineup Saturday as the Padres beat the Diamondbacks 6-4. The two teams will go at it again Sunday.

"It might be two days for this Mexico series, but I will do whatever I need to do to contribute to the team. I was on a hot streak at Triple-A. So hopefully, I bring that here," Song said.

"Song had six hits across his past three games before the call-up. In 20 games in Triple-A, Song had a .293/.369/.320 line, along with 12 RBIs, but zero home runs or steals.

Song carved out an All-Star career with the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization, breaking out with career highs of 19 home runs and 21 steals in 2024, and then topping them with 26 home runs and 25 steals in 2025.

Song first sustained a right oblique strain while training in his native South Korea and reaggravated it during spring training.

If Song makes an appearance Sunday, he will become the third South Korean to see action in Major League Baseball (MLB) this season, joining two other players in the same National League West division: Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants and Kim Hye-seong of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The three were teammates with the Heroes. Lee was the first of the trio to make the jump to MLB in December 2023, followed by Kim in January 2025 and Song in December 2025.