The Pirates placed the infielder on the MLB restricted list Friday, further diminishing the chances he’ll be ready to join the team to start the season.
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Kang is still in South Korea, where he recently received a suspended sentence for his third DUI in that country. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports he is still awaiting a visa to return to the U.S.
Per BaseballReference.com, the restricted list is “used to place a player who is unavailable to play for non-baseball reasons, such as personal issues or trouble with the law.”
Players on the restricted list don’t count toward a team’s 25- or 40-man roster limit, and may or may not be paid.
Kang, who has three DUIs since 2009, agreed last month to enter an alcohol treatment program. The 29-year-old player hit 21 home runs in 103 games last season, slashing .255/.354/.513.
