VIDEO: Kang fields ground balls 5 months after knee surgery

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung-ho Kang remained non-committal when asked in January if he'd be ready for Opening Day, but the 28-year-old appears to be making impressive progress in his recovery from the reconstructive knee surgery that ended his rookie season early.

On Friday, Kang posted an Instagram video of himself fielding ground balls in Florida, offering fans their first glimpse of him on a diamond since Chris Coghlan's takeout slide tore the meniscus and broke the tibia in his left leg Sept. 17.

(Courtesy: sdew0405)

Though Kang was expected to miss up to eight months, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington expressed hope last week that the Korean expatriate could return "some time early in the season, if not before."

Kang, the first position player to transition to the majors from the Korea Baseball Organization, dazzled in his debut campaign with the Pirates, hitting .287/.355/.461 (124 OPS+) with 15 homers in 126 games before finishing third in National League Rookie of the Year voting. When he is healthy enough to return, Kang is expected to serve as Pittsburgh's primary shortstop in 2016.