Jung Ho Kang granted U.S. visa, will rejoin Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang has been granted a work visa to enter the United States and will return to the team.
In December 2016, Kang was found guilty of his third DUI in South Korea. It led to an eight-month suspended sentence from the U.S. and he was placed on the restricted list as result.
"After a lengthy process, we are pleased that Jung Ho has been allowed to re-enter to the United States," Pirates president Frank Coonelly said, according to Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic. "We are encouraged by the steps that Jung Ho has taken to date and are hopeful that having the game he loves taken away from him for more than a year has driven home the reality that he must make better life decisions as we move forward together."
Francisco Cervelli and Kang have kept in touch. Kang called him two weeks ago, Cervelli said: "He told me, 'I'm coming.' I didn't believe, but this guy is hungry. He's part of this."
— Adam Berry (@adamdberry) April 26, 2018
Earlier in 2016, a 23-year-old woman told police that Kang had sexually assaulted her in a Chicago hotel room while the Pirates were in town for a series against the Cubs. The infielder was not charged after the woman refused to cooperate with police.
In an effort to remain in game shape, Kang has been playing in the Dominican Republic for Aguilas Cibaenas. To date, he's slashed .143/.219/.202 with one home run, 10 RBIs, and 31 strikeouts.
Prior to his legal troubles, Kang was a serviceable player for the Pirates. The now 30-year-old was productive in his first season with the team in 2015, hitting .287/.355/.461 (3.7 WAR) and went on to finish third in National League Rookie of the Year voting. The following season, Kang appeared in 103 games, slashing .264/.346/.458 with a career-high 21 home runs and 132 wRC+.