CPBL Foreign Players Updates Volume #401
Uni-Lions News: Jackson Stephens
On August 14, MLB Trade Rumours reported that the Atlanta Braves had released 31-year-old American right-hander Jackson Stephens from Triple-A, allowing him to pursue a career in Taiwan’s CPBL. At the time, the report did not specify which CPBL team Stephens was joining.
Soon after, internet sleuths on Taiwan’s PTT baseball message board noticed that Jackson Stephens was following the Uni-Lions on social media. Combined with the Uni-Lions general manager recently hinting that the team was close to finalising a deal with a new foreign pitcher, fans quickly began to connect the dots.
When asked by Liberty Sports, the Uni-Lions GM neither confirmed nor denied the signing. He only stated that the team was ironing out the final details of a new foreign pitcher’s contract, and if all went as planned, an official announcement would be made in the coming days.
Meanwhile, broadcaster Wang Yi-Hsuan revealed on social media that Jackson Stephens had initially been in negotiations with the Rakuten Monkeys. The deal was nearly complete, but budget issues prevented it from materialising, and Stephens ultimately signed with the Uni-Lions instead.
Fast forward to August 22, Uni-Lions finally announced the signing of Jackson Stephens. According to the general manager, Jackson Stephens is set to arrive in Taiwan on August 23.
Jackson Stephens began his professional career in 2012 with the Cincinnati Reds organisation and made his MLB debut in 2017. He pitched in the majors from 2017–18 and 2022–24 with the Reds and Braves, compiling a 4.15 ERA and 1.43 WHIP across 132.1 innings. Over his 83 MLB appearances, he worked primarily as a reliever.
In 2025, Jackson Stephens re-signed with the Braves on a minor league deal and spent the season in Triple-A. He delivered a strong performance, posting a 2.57 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 42 strikeouts over 49 innings. For context, the International League’s average ERA this season sits at 4.70.
With the signing of Jackson Stephens, the Uni-Lions currently have Yohander Méndez, Brock Dykxhoorn, Félix Peña and Cam Alldred as their foreign players. As per the CPBL regulations, teams must cut down the number of foreign players to 4 on their active roster after August 31.
Further Readings
Foreign players come and go. Therefore, we have compiled a foreign player tracker, and I’ll be updating that list regularly to keep pace with the ever-changing roster shuffle throughout the 2025 CPBL season.