Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates infielder Kang undergoes season-ending wrist surgery

Published Aug. 3, 2018 3:48 p.m. ET

PITTSBURGH (AP) Jung Ho Kang, who finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2015 while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates, has undergone season-ending surgery on his left wrist.

The team said the surgery was performed Friday in Pittsburgh.

The 31-year-old infielder had been playing with the Pirates' Triple-A Indianapolis when he first started feeling pain in the wrist on June 20. When the pain continued while taking batting practice on Tuesday, Kang opted for surgery.

Kang has not played in the major leagues since the end of the 2016 season.

He was unable to secure a work visa to travel from his native South Korea to the United States after being was arrested for DUI for a third time in December 2016 in Seoul. He received an eight-month suspended sentence and was not cleared to travel to the U.S. until this April.

Kang played in 16 games between Indianapolis and Class A Bradenton this season, hitting .310 with three home runs.