Share Video
Kang is pursuing a return to the Korea Baseball Organization after a league official confirmed Wednesday that the 33-year-old removed himself from the KBO's "voluntarily retired" list last week, Jee-ho Yoo of Yonhap News reports.
Kang found success in his first two MLB seasons with the Pirates in 2015 and 2016, but his career has been trending downward since he was found guilty of his third DUI in December 2016. The 33-year-old sat out much of the subsequent three seasons due to legal issues and injuries and was ineffective for the Pirates when available, contributing a lowly .174/.225/.393 slash line (56 wRC+) in 191 plate appearances over that stretch. Given that Kang didn't have any success landing even a minor-league contract over the winter, his desire to head back to Asia is understandable. However, any potential return to the KBO could have to wait until at least 2023, given the league's strict penalties for DUI arrests. Current KBO rules state that players who have been arrested for DUI at least three times are subject to suspensions of at least three years, which would make Kang ineligible to play until his age-36 season.
