BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) – Pittsburgh infielder Jung Ho Kang was placed on the restricted list by the Pirates while he’s delayed in South Korea by visa issues related to a recent DUI arrest.
Pirates’ president Frank Coonelly made the announcement on Saturday.
Kang received an eight-month suspended prison sentence last week after a DUI arrest in December, his third such arrest in South Korea. The sentence was suspended for two years.
Players on the restricted list don’t count on either the 25- or 40-man rosters, and they’re eligible to be paid.
Kang, who turns 30 three days after opening day on April 6, hit 36 home runs in 229 games over his first two major league seasons. He signed a four-year, $11 million contract in January 2015 after the Pirates secured his rights from a South Korean league team.
David Freese is Pittsburgh’s third baseman in Kang’s absence.
In a statement March 3 after Kang was sentenced, Coonelly said the team would “withhold judgment” on levying any possible discipline on Kang until they were able to meet with him in person upon his reporting to spring training.