PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Left-hander Kyle Hart has signed a one-year contact with the San Diego Padres after one season in the Korean Baseball Organization, where he was selected as the league’s top pitcher.

The Padres announced Thursday the signing of the 32-year-old Hart to a deal for this season that includes a club option for 2026.

Hart won the Choi Dong-won Award in the KBO last season after leading the league with 182 strikeouts. He was 13-3 with a 2.69 ERA in 26 starts, ranking second in the league for wins and ERA. He walked only 38 of his 631 batters over 158 innings.

In his only MLB action, Hart pitched in four games (three starts) for Boston during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He was 0-1, allowing 24 hits and 19 earned runs over 11 innings.

The Red Sox took Hart in the 19th round of the 2016 MLB amateur draft out of Indiana University. He pitched over parts of eight minor league seasons for the Red Sox (2016-22), Seattle (2023) and Philadelphia (2023).

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