Jung Ho Kang is back.
In a surprising turn, after more than a year of not being allowed back into the United States because of multiple DUI offenses in his native South Korea, Kang was granted a work visa, is back in the country and will rejoin the Pirates, the team announced in a press release Thursday afternoon.
Kang, 31, has been on Major League Baseball's restricted list since the beginning of the 2017 season after being denied re-entry into the country. After fulfilling obligations under MLB's Treatment Program, to which he agreed in January of last year, he will report to Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla., and work his way back into playing shape. He will remain on the restricted list through that period.
“After a lengthy process, we are pleased that Jung Ho has been allowed to re-enter to the United States,” the Pirates' president, Frank Coonelly, said in a statement. “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. As we have communicated to him throughout this process, we will work to provide Jung Ho with the resources and support necessary for him to meet the high expectations that we have for him as a member of our organization and our community.”
Neither Neal Huntington nor Coonelly were made available to reporters following the announcement. The news broke Thursday afternoon when Javad Khazaeli, an immigration lawyer from St. Louis, tweeted out a photo of him and Kang standing in an airport with a caption of "When being an immigration attorney is more important than being @cardinals fan. The @pirates are going to be tougher."
The tweet was deleted within minutes, and the Pirates' announcement came less than one hour later. Kang has not played in a game for the Pirates since Oct. 2, 2016, and he crashed a BMW through a guard rail in Seoul, South Korea less than three months later. He was later convicted of driving under the influence, receiving an eight-month suspended sentence in March, and he lost an appeal in May. Kang was not granted a visa — it was his third DUI in South Korea — and was unable to play for the Pirates in 2017.
Coonelly, Clint Hurdle and Huntington expressed doubts to a crowd of fans at PiratesFest in December that Kang would be able to obtain a visa. Coonelly shouldered the blame for the club not being prepared for Kang’s absence and admitted to fans the visa process was more complicated than he anticipated.
“The fact that we went into last offseason — it was just about a year ago today that Jung Ho had the DUI in South Korea — thinking that we had a reasonably good chance of getting him in the country this past year, was on me," Coonelly explained at PiratesFest. "I thought we could get him in the country. The visa process was more complicated for him than we realized, sitting here today, and that was on me. I gave Neal bad advice saying, ‘I think we can get Jung Ho in the country.’”
Kang hit 21 home runs with a .354 on-base percentage in 103 games in 2016, and he was accused of sexual assault in June 2016, although charges were not filed against him after investigators could not locate his accuser. He was also a key cog for the Pirates' 98-win season in 2015, batting .287/.355/.461 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs in 126 games, finishing third in rookie of the year voting for the season after he played nine years in the Korea Baseball Organization.
With Kang absent, the Pirates' offense struggled last season, ranking 27th in batting average, 28th in runs, 29th in home runs and 28th in OPS. They filled the vacancy at third base by acquiring Colin Moran from the Astros in the Gerrit Cole trade this offseason, and David Freese, who was signed prior to the 2016 season, is now serving in a platoon role.
Moran's .294 batting average entering Thursday ranked second among National League rookies, and he's driven in 12 runs.
Kang's return to baseball began in October, when he joined Aguilas Cibaenas of the Dominican Winter League, but he was released after batting .143/.219/.202 with only three extra-base hits, including one home run, and 31 strikeouts to eight walks in 24 games.
“We’ve done everything we’ve been asked to do and everything we believe we can do,” Hurdle said in December. “The winter ball thing just goes to show you the experience and how hard it is to be removed from the game for a year, then try to go down and compete offensively. All the reports were the same. Hard work showed up. Plus in the field, moving left and right. The batting practice solid. Game time velocity and spin, challenging.”
Francisco Cervelli confirmed after the Pirates' 1-0 win over the Tigers Thursday that he has kept in touch with Kang through video chat over the past 16 months, and he visited Kang in the Dominican Republic during the offseason. Kang informed Cervelli two weeks ago he would be returning to the United States; however, Cervelli didn't initially believe the news.
According to Cervelli, Kang has been training in the Dominican Republic.
"He called me like two weeks ago and told me, 'I’m coming, I’m coming,'" Cervelli said. "I didn’t believe it but this guy is hungry, and he’s part of this. He’s part of this. For sure, it’s a good guy, and it’s a good player."
According to Daum.net, a Korean-language news website, Kang returned to the Dominican Republic in January in an effort to obtain a work visa to enter the United States.
His whereabouts since have been unknown, and the Pirates have yet to release details on how he acquired the visa. In accordance with the collective bargaining agreement, MLB's Treatment Board reviewed Kang's case in January and he agreed to enter a rehabilitation program.
Per MLB's Joint Drug Program, participation in such a program “shall be considered as a mitigating factor in any discipline imposed” by the Pirates or the commissioner's office. Kang reportedly struggled to hit breaking pitches in winter ball, which led to his release. He'll likely train at Pirate City before joining one of the club's minor-league affiliates.
He was scheduled to make $3 million this season and has a $5.5 million club option for 2019 before he becomes a free agent. It would cost the Pirates $250,000 to buy him out of the option year.
It's unknown when or if he'll return to the Pirates, but it sounds like he'd return to a warm reception in the clubhouse.
"We’re going to dance a lot here," Cervelli said, smiling. "He’s part of us. We never quit on him. He was a [big part] of 2015. The fans love him. He’s a human. We can’t judge or do anything. He’s a human. He made a mistake like anyone else. When he comes back here we have to make sure he’s at home."
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