Manager Clint Hurdle warned against reading too much into Kang sitting out two of the Bucs' last three games against left-handed pitching.

The Pirates manager noted that the right-handed Kang hits righties (.298/.366/.468) better than lefties (.253/.356/.413). Pittsburgh goes against a pair of southpaws (Chris Rusin and Jorge De La Rosa) Saturday and Sunday, so there's a chance Kang could find himself on the bench.

Kang is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Marlins.

Jordy Mercer will start at shortstop against lefty Justin Nicolino, pushing Kang to the bench for the second time in three days. Kang has been exceptional in a regular role since the break, doubling his home run total from the first half and posting a .971 OPS, but the Pirates have a very deep bench and manager Clint Hurdle may want to keep everyone involved with at least a couple starts per week.

Kang is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Marlins.

Kang has started at both shortstop and third base within the past week, but he'll get the night off as the Pirates go with Aramis Ramirez at third and Jordy Mercer at short.

Kang went 2-for-3 Saturday with two solo home runs.

He's now got 12 homers on the season to go along with an impressive .290/.363/.464 slash line. Kang isn't putting up the prodigious power numbers he displayed in the KBO, but he's still having a very good rookie season in MLB.

Kang went 2-for-7 with a homer, a walk, an RBI and two runs Tuesday against Arizona.

Kang's 10th homer put the Pirates up 8-3 and was the last run the team would score until the 15th inning. Coming off of a red-hot month of July, he's posted a .220 batting average in August, his lowest mark of the season. in addition, this was only his third multi-hit game in 15 contests this month.

The Pirates rested Kang against the Mets on Sunday, ending his streak of 34 consecutive games played, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

After a red-hot July, Kang has posted a .283 on-base percentage and .671 OPS in August. "For my money, Kang's legs need a break," manager Clint Hurdle said. "They weren't playing at the plate." Kang is expected to play Monday at home against Arizona.

Kang is out of the lineup Sunday against the Mets, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Kang played all 14 innings of Saturday's 5-3 win over the Mets, so manager Clint Hurdle will give the infielder a rest for the day game after the night game. Pedro Florimon will pick up a rare start at shortstop while Kang hits the bench.

Kang is slashing .348/.419/.600 in 129 PA since becoming a full-time player in early July.

He'll likely see five or so weekly starts split between third base and shortstop when Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer return -- something which could happen in the coming week. Manager Clint Hurdle has often stated that the team is concerned about Kang wearing down in his first North American season, but so far the Korean has exceeded expectations.

Kang was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer and a pair of runs scored Sunday against the Dodgers.

If not for opening the year as Jordy Mercer's backup, Kang would be in the NL ROY discussion given his .291/.371/.457 slsh line. A strong finish and he may still be in the discussion come October.

Kang went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Reds.

Kang has just 35 RBI in 87 games this season, but four of them have come in his last five appearances. More impressively, he's hitting .432 in Pittsburgh's last 10 games, and his batting average for the year is resting at .299, the highest it's been since May 29. He's not a power hitter, but Kang's been finding first base with relative ease lately.

Kang lifted his batting average to .299 with three doubles in four at-bats Friday in Cincinnati.

Since Josh Harrison (thumb) went on the disabled list July 6, Kang is batting .408/.477/.684 in 86 plate appearances. The Pirates will have some tough decisions to make when Harrison and starting shortstop Jordy Mercer (leg) return in late August, but for now Kang remains an important offensive weapon as an everyday player for Pittsburgh.

Kang stayed hot in Wednesday's win over the Twins, going 3-for-5 at the plate with a solo homer.

Kang has homered in back-to-back contests and has taken well to an everyday role since replacing Jordy Mercer (leg) at shortstop. In 49 second-half plate appearances, Kang is slashing an outstanding .432/.490/.727, good for a 244 wRC+.

Kang hit his sixth home run in Tuesday's win over the Twins, part of a 2-for-4 game.

Kang's batting line is up to .289/.367/.426 and his .793 OPS ranks behind only Troy Tulowitzki, Brandon Crawford and Jhonny Peralta among regular shortstops. Kang now has multi-hit games in seven of his past nine games and has raised his batting average by 23 points over that span.

Kang extended his multihit streak to six games Friday, going 2-for-4 against the Nationals.

He now has six straight 2-for-4 efforts. Kang has made the transition back to shortstop from third base seamlessly. His role is secure at least until Jordy Mercer returns in late August or early Septemnber, though the addition of Aramis Ramirez could complicate matters at third base -- especially when Josh Harrison comes back. For now, though, Kang fantasy owners continue to reap rewards from the first-year South Korean with steady playing time and a slash line of .289/.365/.419.

Kang extended his hitting streak to seven games Monday, going 2-for-4 with a double and a walk against the Royals.

He's batting .440 in 25 at-bats during the streak, recording five multihit efforts in his last nine games. Interestingly, Kang ranks second in the NL with 11 HBPs, though he doesn't crowd the plate. It appears the Bucs are set to deploy him as their starting shortstop with Jordy Mercer out until late August, but his durability over the course of a 162-game season remains in question.

Kang is expected to take over at shortstop if Jordy Mercer (lower leg) is forced to miss time, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

He's served as Pittsburgh's everyday third baseman since early July, when Josh Harrison (thumb) got hurt. "The transition of shortstop to third base is kind of difficult, but vice versa, from third base to shortstop, I feel very comfortable," Kang said. The first-year player holds a .359/.457/.564 line in 46 plate appearances since taking over for Harrison and figures to see regular at-bats (barring trade) for the foreseeable future.

Kang went 2-for-5 with an RBI Saturday, lashing a triple off St. Louis closer Trevor Rosenthal.

He batted fifth in the lineup after slotting cleanup for the past week (with Starling Marte re-taking the fourth spot). Kang has started every game since July 5, recording a .333 (9-for-27) batting average with two triples, one double and four RBI. Right now he's more of a gap hitter than a home run threat. Kang has played well as an everyday player, a role he's expected to keep for another six weeks or so with Josh Harrison (thumb) out.

Kang went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Wednesday's 5-2 win over San Diego.

His grounder up the middle turned into a two-base hit when the ball ticked off the shortstop's glove and Melvin Upton couldn't pick up a wet baseball in shallow center field. Kang isn't afraid to push the envelope as a baserunner, even though he isn't fleet of foot. He batted cleanup for the third straight game Wednesday, during which time he has four hits in 11 at-bats. With Josh Harrison now expected to miss seven weeks, Kang's fantasy value is likely higher than ever.

Kang went 1-for-4 Monday against San Diego, starting at third base while batting cleanup for the Bucs.

With Josh Harrison (thumb) sidelined for at least one month, Kang will get an opportunity to see what he can do on an everyday basis. The Korean played better when he saw regular time earlier in 2015 -- he hit .298/.379/.464 in 84 May at-bats -- and the Pirates need a similar performance now.

Kang will likely become an everyday player with Josh Harrison expected to miss six weeks with a torn thumb ligament.

Grab him now if you're looking for a player with steady playing time. Kang will likely provide fantasy owners with a batting average around .270 and a decent number of RBI. He's batting fourth in Pittsburgh's lineup Monday.