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Infielder Kang Jung-ho rejoins Pirates

May 6, 2016

SEOUL, (Yonhap) — South Korean infielder Kang Jung-ho has rejoined the Pittsburgh Pirates, having recovered from the devastating knee injuries he sustained last fall.

Kang made his 2016 season debut batting sixth and playing third base against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium Friday. This was the first game of the clubs’ three-game weekend series.

Kang had spent the past seven months rehabbing from the leg injuries he sustained in a hard takeout slide by Chris Coghlan of the Chicago Cubs trying to break up a double play. The surgeon who performed the operation on Kang to repair a tibial plateau fracture and a torn lateral meniscus later likened the player’s injuries to those sustained in a car accident.

Kang played 13 games with the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis and hit .150 there.

In 2015, Kang became the first position player to make the jump from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to the majors via posting. After a sluggish start, Kang eventually became a fan favorite in Pittsburgh and ended up batting .287/.355/.461 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs. He finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.

The Pirates’ general manager Neal Huntington has said Kang will be eased into action and will likely be playing two out of every three days. David Freese, a veteran third baseman who has handled the hot corner so far, will spell the South Korean at third.

Without Kang, the Pirates have gone 15-13 prior to Friday’s game, second place in NL Central and seven games behind the red-hot Chicago Cubs. The Pirates arrived in St. Louis having lost four straight.