Kai-Wei Teng
Taiwanese baseball player (born 1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kai-Wei Teng (Chinese: 鄧愷威; Wade–Giles: Teng4 K'ai3-wei1; born December 1, 1998) is a Taiwanese professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Francisco Giants.
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| Kai-Wei Teng | |||||||||||||||
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Teng with the Minnesota Twins in 2018 | |||||||||||||||
| Houston Astros – No. 17 | |||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | |||||||||||||||
| Born: December 1, 1998 Taichung, Taiwan | |||||||||||||||
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | |||||||||||||||
| March 31, 2024, for the San Francisco Giants | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through May 16, 2026) | |||||||||||||||
| Win–loss record | 4–7 | ||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 5.27 | ||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 76 | ||||||||||||||
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
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Medals
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| Kai-Wei Teng | |||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 鄧愷威 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 邓恺威 | ||||||||||
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Early life and education
Teng attended Shi Yuan Senior High School in Taichung before transferring to Kao-Yuan Vocational High School of Technology & Commerce in Kaohsiung. He enrolled at the National Taiwan Sport University.[1]
Career
Minnesota Twins
On October 20, 2017, the Minnesota Twins signed Teng for a $500,000 signing bonus.[2] He made his professional debut with the rookie–level Gulf Coast League Twins in 2018, making 10 appearances (9 starts) and posting a 3.59 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 42+2⁄3 innings pitched.[3]
He began the 2019 season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Single–A Midwest League, and was named the league's pitcher of the week for the week ending July 14.[4] In 9 games for Cedar Rapids, Teng logged a 4–0 record and 1.60 ERA.[5]
San Francisco Giants
On July 31, 2019, the Twins traded Teng, Jaylin Davis, and Prelander Berroa to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Sam Dyson.[6] He made five starts for the Single–A Augusta GreenJackets, recording a 1.55 ERA with 39 strikeouts across 39+2⁄3 innings of work. Teng did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]
On June 2, 2021, while pitching for the High–A Eugene Emeralds, he was suspended for 10 games after umpires found a foreign substance in his glove.[8] In 21 starts for Eugene, Teng recorded a 4.33 ERA with 142 strikeouts in 95+2⁄3 innings of work.[9] Teng spent the 2022 season with the Double–A Richmond Flying Squirrels, making 28 starts and registering a 6–12 record and 5.22 ERA with a career–high 169 strikeouts in 136+1⁄3 innings pitched.[10]
Teng began the 2023 season back with Double–A Richmond, starting 12 games and posting a 4.75 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 47+1⁄3 innings of work.[11] On June 18, 2023, he was promoted to the Triple–A Sacramento River Cats.[12] In 17 games (16 starts) for Sacramento, Teng logged a 6–5 record and 4.22 ERA with 96 strikeouts across 76 innings pitched.
On November 14, 2023, the Giants added Teng to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[13][14] He spent some time in major league spring training,[15] and was optioned to Triple–A Sacramento to begin the 2024 season.[16] On March 29, 2024, Teng was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[17][18] Teng made his major league debut in relief of Daulton Jefferies, pitching three innings while yielding four hits and three runs.[19][20] In 4 games during his rookie campaign, he struggled to a 9.82 ERA with 7 strikeouts over 11 innings of work. Teng was designated for assignment by San Francisco on November 19.[21] On November 22, the Giants non–tendered Teng, making him a free agent.[22]
On November 29, 2024, Teng re–signed with the Giants organization on a minor league contract.[23][24] In 25 appearances for Triple-A Sacramento, he posted a 3-2 record and 3.67 ERA with 86 strikeouts and two saves over 54 innings of work. On August 1, 2025, the Giants selected Teng's contract, adding him to their active roster.[25] Teng started his first game in the major leagues that night, pitching 3+1⁄3 innings in a loss against the New York Mets.[26][27] Teng earned his first win on August 8, pitching five innings in relief of opener Matt Gage against the Washington Nationals.[28][29] He made eight appearances (seven starts) for San Francisco during the year, accumulating a 2-4 record and 6.37 ERA with 39 strikeouts across 29+2⁄3 innings pitched.
Houston Astros
On January 29, 2026, Teng was traded to the Houston Astros in exchange for Jancel Villarroel.[30] Teng made the Astros' Opening Day roster.[31]
International career
Teng played for the Taiwanese national team (Chinese Taipei) in the 2019 Asian Baseball Championship, pitching in the gold medal game against Japan, which Taiwan won.[32] He was included on their roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic.[33] Teng declined to join Taiwan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.[34]