The Pirates activated Jung Ho Kang from the restricted list Friday and optioned him to Class AAA Indianapolis, restoring his spot on the 40-man roster and providing him a paycheck for the first time since 2016.
Kang returned to the U.S. in late April after receiving a waiver in order to get a work visa, which the State Department denied him last year after his third DUI arrest in South Korea. He worked out at the Pirates’ facility in Bradenton, Fla. and participated in extended spring training. In seven games with Class A Bradenton, he went 10 for 24 with three home runs.