The Pirates are set to send Jung Ho Kang out on a minor league assignment as he builds up for an eventual return to their big league roster, tweets Adam Berry of MLB.com. Kang will initially be assigned to Class-A Advanced Bradenton.
Kang is currently on the restricted list after missing the 2017 season and the entirety of the 2018 season, to date, after being charged with his third DUI in his native South Korea in the 2016-17 offseason. Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote earlier this month that Kang can remain there until he’s deemed ready to rejoin the big league roster, so Kang won’t be paid or accumulate any MLB service time until he’s actually ready to return to the Major League roster.
That outcome, of course, doesn’t appear to be a given. Kang played poorly in the Dominican Winter League this offseason, hitting just .143/.219/.202 with 31 strikeouts in 96 plate appearances before being cut loose by his club. The Pirates aren’t under any obligation to actually bring Kang back to the roster if his performance doesn’t merit that promotion, and GM Neal Huntington suggested in a radio appearance late last month that this Kang’s last chance with the organization.
The 29-26 Pirates are currently six games out of first place behind the surging Brewers in the NL Central but just two games back of a Wild Card spot, so it seems they’ll look to see whether Kang is capable of returning to the form he showed in 2015-16 when he hit .273/.355/.483 with 36 homers in 837 plate appearances. He’ll earn the pro-rated portion of this season’s $3MM salary for any time spent on the team’s active roster, though Huntington’s comments from April cast some doubt as to whether the organization would consider exercising next year’s $5.5MM option, barring a highly productive finish to the 2018 season.
Cheers
Steve: So he plays in the minors for free? What happens if he gets hurt? Is he covered by insurance? Does he get per diem and road hotel room? How can he play in an official minor league game if he’s not on any roster? Odd…..
He doesn’t get paid or count against the roster because that’s the way the rules work for the restricted list. Simple as that.
Why you care about whether a guy who’s already made millions qualifies for a per diem is another question.
Every dog’s got to eat.
Minor leaguers don’t get a per diem anyway.
As a former HR person I was just curious, mostly about liability. I forgot, baseball is not reality…..
Greater question is how does he get around? Does he have a driver? Use Uber? Is he licensed to drive again?
There was a job posting on Pittsburgh job sites in March for an interpreter/driver who was fluent in Korean. Had to think the job was a posting for Kang personal driver and translator since it said it was a high profile client and knowledge of baseball was a plus
I’m sure he’s covered under insurance. I’m also fairly certain all his rooms and some meals are also taken care of, although I’m sure they are bare min accommodations. Let’s just hope he can get his swing back after the long layoff!
Go Kang
If he plays anywhere near what he did in 2015-16 the Pirates will trade Josh Harrison and his salary and put Kang at 2nd. It’s all about money with Nutting!
Right. Gotta think they’re looking at Kang as a fallback at best. He’ll have to tear it up in the minors, and even then there’s no guarantee. We’re talking about the Pirates here who make sure every penny is locked in a vise.
Send the jackass to a league in North Korea
The people who bash Huntingdon don’t know what they are talking about. The people who bash Hurdle often have a point.
Starting Polanco over Meadows tonight is a great example.
He’s not putting out his best lineup in an effort to win and he’s risking Meadows getting cold after the best 11 game start to an MLB hitter’s career since 1900…1900…all for the sake of stroking Polanco’s ego.
i mostly agree, but polanco has no shot of being better if hes not playing. if polacco gets better or meadows slumps there is an excuse for sending meadows down to preserve service time. also if he does get better mihht be able to find a trade partner for polanco freeing up every day time for meadows….. long shot but….. … .
Clearly, Clint made the right choice with Polanco. Let’s hope he makes the right one with Vasquez.
What I found interesting is that they said they had him working in the batting cages because taking batting practice was making his swing too long.
I have never ever understood how hitting 50 mph soft tosses from 60 year old men was helpful in hitting a 90 mph slider. I would think it would mess your swing up.
there is no choice to be made. meadows has started alot since being called up. polanco needs abs. meadows is going to sit. thats not really a hurdle thing.
the batting practice thing is for mechanics. like the home run derby it can screw up timing i guess is the thought.
@forwhomjoshbelltolls by hitting those 50 mph pitches thrown from 60 year old men the player is practicing bettering their mechanics and trying to fix the problems in their swing. By practicing this they’re trying to have better at bats and are preparing to be able to hit those 90 mph sliders. What they want to do is put those practice swings into a real game.
I totally agree.So what if Polanco sits for three weeks?What did he do last year with all the muscle pulls?
Hurdle shows far too much loyalty to his players.
If Polanco was loyal to the Pirates he would go to AAA for a month to get a shorter swing.
Michael Feliz is another example of a player who should be sent to AAA.Neverauskas should be recalled or the fellow with the 0.45 ERA should be purchased.
It is time to close with Kyle Crick.Vazquez is killing them.
Hurdle has no incentive to win with the contract extension given him.He is generally a good manager but this loyalty can be a fatal flaw.