PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jung Ho Kang is staying with the Pittsburgh Pirates.Pittsburgh and the third baseman agreed Thursday to a $3 million, one-year contract that includes $2.5 million in performance bonuses. The deal was announced a week after Pittsburgh declined a $5.5 million club option for Kang, triggering a $250,000 buyout."We feel that bringing Jung Ho back in 2019 will make us better as he will have the ability to make a positive impact on our lineup," general manager Neal Huntington said in a statement. "Competition and options are important to any organization and this signing provides us with both."Kang was a star in his native South Korea when the Pirates signed him to an $11 million, four-year deal in January 2015. He finished third in NL Rookie of the Year balloting after hitting 15 homers and driving in 58 runs in 2015, when Pittsburgh won 98 games. It would be the high point of Kang's time with the Pirates.The 31-year-old Kang didn't play in the U.S. between September 2016 and June 2018 because of visa issues connected to three DUI arrests in South Korea. He made it back to the majors with Pittsburgh in September and went 2 for 6 during the final weekend of the season.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jung Ho Kang is staying with the Pittsburgh Pirates.The Pirates and the veteran third baseman agreed to a one-year deal Thursday that will bring Kang back for the 2019 season.The move comes a week after Pittsburgh declined a $5.5 million club option for Kang, paying him a $250,000 buyout instead. Financial terms on Kang's new deal weren't immediately available."We feel that bringing Jung Ho back in 2019 will make us better as he will have the ability to make a positive impact on our lineup," general manager Neal Huntington said in a statement. "Competition and options are important to any organization and this signing provides us with both."Kang was a star in his native South Korea when the Pirates signed him to an $11 million, four-year deal in January 2015. He finished third in NL Rookie of the Year balloting after hitting 15 homers and driving in 58 runs in 2015, when Pittsburgh won 98 games. It would be the high point of Kang's time with the Pirates.The 31-year-old Kang didn't play in the U.S. between September 2016 and June 2018 because of visa issues connected to three DUI arrests in South Korea. He made it back to the majors with Pittsburgh in September, collecting two hits in six at-bats during the final weekend of the season.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Josh Harrison's tenure at second base for the Pittsburgh Pirates is over.Pittsburgh declined 2019 options for Harrison and third baseman Jung Ho Kang.The Pirates opted to pay Harrison a $1 million buyout rather than the $10.5 million he was scheduled to make next season. The 31-year-old, a key part of Pittsburgh's run of three straight playoff berths from 2013-15, hit .250 with three home runs and 37 RBIs in 97 games in 2018. His playing time diminished near the end of the season while Pittsburgh gave prospect Kevin Newman a look.Kang was a star in South Korea when the Pirates signed him to an $11 million, four-year deal in January 2015. He finished third in NL Rookie of the Year balloting in 2015 after hitting 15 homers and driving in 58 runs as Pittsburgh won 98 games. It would be the high point of Kang's time with the Pirates.The 31-year-old Kang didn't play in North America between September 2016 and June 2018 because of visa issues connected to three DUI arrests his native South Korea. He made it back to the majors with Pittsburgh in September, collecting two hits in six at bats during the final weekend of the season.Pittsburgh will pay Kang's $250,000 buyout. He was slated to make $5.5 million next year. Kang's contract specified he must be released at the end of the deal.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Josh Harrison's tenure at second base for the Pittsburgh Pirates is over.Pittsburgh declined 2019 options for Harrison and third baseman Jung Ho Kang.The Pirates opted to pay Harrison a $1 million buyout rather than the $10.5 million he was scheduled to make next season. The 31-year-old, a key part of Pittsburgh's run of three straight playoff berths from 2013-15, hit .250 with three home runs and 37 RBIs in 97 games in 2018. His playing time diminished near the end of the season while Pittsburgh gave prospect Kevin Newman a look.Kang was a star in South Korea when the Pirates signed him to an $11 million, four-year deal in January 2015. He finished third in NL Rookie of the Year balloting in 2015 after hitting 15 homers and driving in 58 runs as Pittsburgh won 98 games. It would be the high point of Kang's time with the Pirates.The 31-year-old Kang didn't play in North America between September 2016 and June 2018 because of visa issues connected to three DUI arrests his native South Korea. He made it back to the majors with Pittsburgh in September, collecting two hits in six at bats during the final weekend of the season.Pittsburgh will pay Kang's $250,000 buyout. He was slated to make $5.5 million next year. Kang's contract specified he must be released at the end of the deal.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Neal Huntington raised eyebrows last winter when the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager said the club's decision to trade franchise cornerstones Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole wouldn't affect the team's ability to win the World Series in 2018.The message Huntington was trying to send was lost in his unwieldy delivery: that flipping Cole and McCutchen for younger major league talent would help the Pirates contend into 2019 and beyond.While Huntington's short-term version was spot on — the Pirates were out of the playoff picture by late August — whether his long-term vision pans out remains uncertain.Yet he and manager Clint Hurdle are confident Pittsburgh took a significant step forward in 2018. The Pirates won 82 games — just the franchise's fourth winning season in a quarter century — and head into 2019 with far fewer question marks than a year ago.The starting rotation, led by breakout seasons by Jameson Taillon and Trevor Williams and an uncharacteristically aggressive... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Neal Huntington raised eyebrows last winter when the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager said the club's decision to trade franchise cornerstones Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole wouldn't affect the team's ability to win the World Series in 2018.The message Huntington was trying to send was lost in his unwieldy delivery: that flipping Cole and McCutchen for younger major league talent would help the Pirates contend into 2019 and beyond.While Huntington's short-term version was spot on — the Pirates were out of the playoff picture by late August — whether his long-term vision pans out remains uncertain.Yet he and manager Clint Hurdle are confident Pittsburgh took a significant step forward in 2018. The Pirates won 82 games — just the franchise's fourth winning season in a quarter century — and head into 2019 with far fewer question marks than a year ago.The starting rotation, led by breakout seasons by Jameson Taillon and Trevor Williams and an uncharacteristically aggressive... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates expect infielder Jung Ho Kang to join the club Friday and be active for a season-ending season at Cincinnati in what would be his first major league appearance in two years.The 31-year-old didn't play in North America between September 2016 and June 2018 because of visa issues connected to three DUI arrests his native South Korea.Kang played in seven games for Class A Bradenton and nine games for Triple-A Indianapolis in June before a left wrist injury that led to surgery in August.Pittsburgh made the announcement before Thursday night's game at the Chicago Cubs.Kang, who plays third base and shortstop, hit .273 with 36 homers and 120 RBIs in 229 games for the Pirates in 2015 and 2016,___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jung Ho Kang, who finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2015 while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates, has undergone season-ending surgery on his left wrist.The team said the surgery was performed Friday in Pittsburgh.The 31-year-old infielder had been playing with the Pirates' Triple-A Indianapolis when he first started feeling pain in the wrist on June 20. When the pain continued while taking batting practice on Tuesday, Kang opted for surgery.Kang has not played in the major leagues since the end of the 2016 season.He was unable to secure a work visa to travel from his native South Korea to the United States after being was arrested for DUI for a third time in December 2016 in Seoul. He received an eight-month suspended sentence and was not cleared to travel to the U.S. until this April.Kang played in 16 games between Indianapolis and Class A Bradenton this season, hitting .310 with three home runs.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang has been reinstated from the restricted list and optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis after missing last season and the first part of this year because of visa issues.The 31-year-old Kang was unable to secure a work visa to travel from his native South Korea to the United States after he was arrested for DUI for a third time in December 2016 in Seoul. He received an eight-month suspended prison sentence.Friday's move is primarily procedural, since Kang already has played in 11 minor league games. He was cleared to travel to the U.S. on April 27.Kang went 1 for 15 in his first four games for Indianapolis after batting .417 (10 for 24) in seven games for high Class A Bradenton.Kang finished third in the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year voting after becoming the first native South Korean position player to make the jump from the Korea Baseball Organization to the major leagues. He hit .287 with 15 homers in 126 games that season, and then .255 with 21 homers in 103 games in 2016.Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said there is no timetable for when Kang might be called up."He needs to play games," Hurdle said. "He needs to have a real spring training

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang has been reinstated from the restricted list and optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis after missing last season and the first part of this year because of visa issues.The 31-year-old Kang was unable to secure a work visa to travel from his native South Korea to the United States after he was arrested for DUI for a third time in December 2016 in Seoul. He received an eight-month suspended prison sentence.Friday's move is primarily procedural, since Kang already has played in 11 minor league games. He was cleared to travel to the U.S. on April 27.Kang went 1 for 15 in his first four games for Indianapolis after batting .417 (10 for 24) in seven games for high Class A Bradenton.Kang finished third in the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year voting after becoming the first native South Korean position player to make the jump from the Korea Baseball Organization to the major leagues. He hit .287 with 15 homers in 126 games that season, and then .255 with 21 homers in 103 games in 2016.

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang said he has been sober since his third DUI arrest in December 2016 and is focused on getting into baseball shape and returning to the Pirates.The 31-year-old is back in Pittsburgh's minor league system, playing for Class A Bradenton in the Florida State League."Obviously, I'm not touching a drop of alcohol moving forward," Kang said through his interpreter Mark Kim on Wednesday in his first public comments since he was cleared to return to the U.S. two months ago.Kang's third arrest in South Korea on DUI charges included an eight-month suspended prison sentence and led to his failures to receive a work visa for the 2017 season. Kang, however, received a visa in April and was allowed to return to the United States. He is in the final year of an $11 million, four-year contract with the Pirates that includes a 2019 club option.It had been unclear when and if Kang would be allowed to return."It would be a lie if I said I wasn't... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jung Ho Kang will begin his attempt to return to the major leagues Monday when the infielder reports to the Pittsburgh Pirates' extended spring training camp in Bradenton, Florida."He has a lot of work ahead of him," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said Friday before the Pirates played the St. Louis Cardinals. "He hasn't played competitive baseball for a long time."Pittsburgh said Thursday that Kang received a work visa to come to the United States and resume his career. He had been working out in the Dominican Republic, where he had a short stint of winter ball during the offseason."After a long, painful process, I am excited to have a chance to return to the game that I have missed so much," Kang said in a statement released by the Pirates. "My focus is first on becoming the best person that I can be. Secondly, I look forward to getting to Pirate City and demonstrating that I am committed to doing whatever I can to get back to Pittsburgh and help the Pirates... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jung Ho Kang is back in the United States and on his way to rejoining the Pittsburgh Pirates.The club announced Thursday that the South Korean third baseman has been granted a work visa by the U.S. government and will report to the team's training complex in Bradenton, Florida.The 31-year-old Kang last played for the Pirates in 2016. He was arrested in South Korea on DUI charges for a third time in December 2016 and received an eight-month suspended prison sentence that led to visa issues.Pittsburgh, which signed Kang to an $11 million, four-year contract in January 2015, placed Kang on the restricted list last March after Kang failed to secure a visa. The club said Kang will remain on the restricted list while he works out in Florida.Pirates president Frank Coonelly said the team is pleased have to Kang back but added Kang must fulfill obligations under a treatment program he agreed to as a condition of his return."We are encouraged by the steps that Jung Ho has taken... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jung Ho Kang is back in the United States and on his way to rejoining the Pittsburgh Pirates.The club announced Thursday that the South Korean third baseman has been granted a work visa by the U.S. government and will report to the team's training complex in Bradenton, Florida.The 31-year-old Kang last played for the Pirates in 2016. He was arrested in South Korea on DUI charges for a third time in December 2016 and received an eight-month suspended prison sentence that led to visa issues.Pittsburgh, which signed Kang to an $11 million, four-year contract in January 2015, placed Kang on the restricted list last March after Kang failed to secure a visa. The club said Kang will remain on the restricted list while he works out in Florida.Pirates president Frank Coonelly said the team is pleased have to Kang back but added Kang must fulfill obligations under a treatment program he agreed to as a condition of his return."We are encouraged by the steps that Jung Ho has taken... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jung Ho Kang is back in the United States and on his way to rejoining the Pittsburgh Pirates.The club announced Thursday that the South Korean third baseman has been granted a work visa by the U.S. government and will report to the team's training complex in Bradenton, Florida.The 31-year-old Kang last played for the Pirates in 2016. He was arrested in South Korea on DUI charges for a third time in December 2016 and received an eight-month suspended prison sentence that led to visa issues.Pittsburgh, which signed Kang to an $11 million, four-year contract in January 2015, placed Kang on the restricted list last March after Kang failed to secure a visa.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Colin Moran was considered one of the best players in college baseball in 2013 while starring at North Carolina."We loved him going into the draft that year," Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. "He was a player we had a lot of interest in."The Pirates finally got their man Jan. 13 when they acquired Moran and three other players from the Houston Astros in a trade for right-hander Gerrit Cole. Moran is penciled in as the starting third baseman, with veteran David Freese moving into a backup role.The Pirates never got the chance to draft Moran four years ago. They had the ninth and 14th picks in the first round but the Miami Marlins chose him at No. 6.Moran has yet to make the impact that many scouts expected. The Marlins traded him to the Astros in 2014 and he played in just 16 major league games with Houston, hitting a combined .206 with one home run in 2016 and 2017.The Pirates, though, believe they are acquiring Moran at the right time after he... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League Central entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Chicago CubsManager: Joe Maddon (fourth season).2017: 92-70, first place, lost to Dodgers in NLCS.Training Town: Mesa, Arizona.Park: Sloan Park.First Workout: Feb. 14/19.He's Here: RHP Brandon Morrow, RHP Tyler Chatwood, RHP Steve Cishek, LHP Drew Smyly.He's Outta Here: RHP Wade Davis, C Alex Avila, C Rene Rivera.Going campin': Chicago is coming off three consecutive NLCS appearances, and it looked a little tired when its title defense came to an end with a lopsided playoff loss to Los Angeles last year. The bullpen was hit hard by the Dodgers in the NLCS, and the Cubs batted just .168 in 10 postseason games. The roster returns mostly intact, but the bullpen and coaching staff each has a new look. Morrow replaces Davis at closer after agreeing to a $21 million, two-year contract. Jim... [More]

There is no baseball in the immediate future of Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang.The 30-year-old Kang appealed a suspended prison sentence but his drunken driving conviction was upheld in a South Korean court. Based on the ruling, Kang is highly unlikely to return to the Pirates this season.The Seoul Central District Court dismissed Kang's appeal of a suspended two-year prison sentence over charges of fleeing the scene after crashing into the guardrail while driving drunk, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Kang appealed to have the punishment reduced to a large fine."We are aware of the ruling this morning in Jung Ho's legal proceedings in South Korea, however, it is premature to comment on the impact, if any, it will have on his ability to secure permission to travel to the United States under a work visa," Pirates president Frank Coonelly said. "We will continue to work with Jung Ho and his representatives as he works through that process."Kang spent eight years playing professional baseball in Korea.Last season, Kang had 21 home runs and 62 RBIs in his second season with the Pirates, who signed him to a four-year, $11 million contract in 2015.Prior history worked against Kang in his appeal. He was previously fined on drunk driving-related charges in 2009 and 2011Attorneys for Kang said visa issues borne of the sentence could be a "death sentence" for his baseball career.The Pirates placed Kang on the restricted list.

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang has an appeals hearing set for May 25 in South Korea regarding his drunk driving conviction, multiple outlets reported.Kang received a suspended eight-month jail sentence in March for his third DUI conviction in South Korea since 2009. Though he only has to serve the prison sentence if he has another incident over the next two years, Kang was unable to secure a work visa in the United States due to the situation.If the sentence were reduced, Kang might be able to gain entry to the U.S and rejoin the Pirates. He was denied a work visa by the U.S. Embassy in March.Kang is currently on the restricted list and isn't being paid. He is in the third season of a four-year, $11 million deal.Pittsburgh reportedly shipped Kang a pitching machine to help him maintain his batting stroke."We're trying to get him a machine with velocity and spin, to help," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle told reporters. "He's been more working indoors, doing everything he can to prepare. But in here, we're moving on until he's back."Kang finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2015, after batting .287 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs in 126 games. Last season, he had 21 homers and 62 RBIs, along with a .255 batting average, in 103 games.

There were a few surprises in training camp for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the biggest ones came before it started.Andrew McCutchen was not traded and moved from center field to right after a subpar season, and Pittsburgh was able to re-sign right-hander Ivan Nova to remain an important part of the starting rotation.Still, there are a lot of questions surrounding a club that missed the postseason last year after a three-year run of playoff appearances and plays in the National League Central Division with the defending Worlds Series champion Chicago Cubs and perennially strong St. Louis Cardinals.The most impactful news in March for the Pirates was the status of third baseman and power hitter Jung Ho Kang, who remained in South Korea and on the restricted list after a DUI arrest. It was unclear when or even if Kang would join the Pirates.David Freese looks to inherit third base with Kang missing. Freese is part of a movement in which manager Clint Hurdle is keen on having a lot of interchangeable... [More]