Pirates Designate Jung Ho Kang for Assignment
By Michael Luciano
After waiting almost two whole years in order to bring him back to the states and get him in a Pittsburgh uniform, the 2019 season has not been kind to Jung Ho Kang, and Clint Hurdle and the Pirates have finally had enough.
The Pirates designated the 32-year-old South Korean infielder for assignment. Kang had hit just .169 with 10 home runs in 65 games.
Pirates have designated Jung Ho Kang for assignment.
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) August 2, 2019
After years of prolific production for the KBO's Nexen Heroes, Kang signed with the Pirates and instantly started producing. He finished third in the 2015 Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .287 with 15 home runs. He followed that up by hitting 21 home runs.
All of that momentum came to a screeching halt when Kang was arrested for driving while intoxicated and had his work visa revoked. This limited him to three games in a Pirates uniform in 2017 and 2018. Pair that with a sexual assault accusation from a then 23-year-old woman in Chicago, and Kang's baggage and poor play became too much for the Pirates to handle.
Kang was denied a $625,000 bonus by this move, as he would have earned his payday with 15 more plate appearances.
Another thing to remember: Jung Ho Kang, who is still with the Pirates, is 15 plate appearances from a $625K performance bonus. He’s batting .169. We’ll see soon whether the Pirates will pay him or DFA him.
— Stephen J. Nesbitt (@stephenjnesbitt) July 31, 2019
Considering the market for 32-year-old infielder hitting under .200 is very thin, we may have seen the last of Kang in a Pirates uniform.