Jung Ho Kang’s Pirates career began with a bang.
It ended with a whimper.
Now on the other side of the MLB trade deadline and needing a roster spot more than his spotty productivity, the Pirates on Friday designated the 32-year-old Kang for assignment.
It ends a disappointing season from a player the Pirates expected to be their starting third baseman, one where Kang hit just .169 with 60 strikeouts in 185 plate appearances.
Now that they’ve DFA’d Kang, the Pirates have seven days to release him or place him on irrevocable outright waivers. (Because the MLB trade deadline has passed, trading Kang is not an option.)
“As hard as he’s tried and the work that he’s put in, it hasn’t transferred into the game right now,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said Friday before a series against the Mets at PNC Park. “That’s the hard part.
“At one time, most of us who were here around three years ago, we saw a guy come in here and was a significant player for us, a significant addition to the lineup with a power component that was real and a style of play that worked.”
During his first 229 games with the Pirates between 2015-16, Kang hit .273 with 36 home runs and 120 RBIs.
But through a combination of off-field issues and injuries, that sort of offense never re-appeared — at least not consistently enough where it made sense for the Pirates to keep Kang.
The Pirates re-signed Kang this offseason to a one-year, $3 million contract, believing he could rediscover his old form.
Earlier this season, Kang was diagnosed with a left side strain, and there was hope that some time away might correct his swing-and-miss issues. It did not.
Instead, the strikeouts kept coming.
“This season I unexpectedly didn’t do really well,” Kang said through translator Jeffrey Kim. “I feel bad for the team, the fans, [Hurdle] and everybody. I’ll try to do better with whatever happens next.”
One bright spot for Kang this season has been his smoothness at shortstop, a somewhat surprising development given he hadn’t played there since September 2015, when he had to have season-ending knee surgery.
But considering the fact that 34.9% of Kang’s at-bats this season have ended with a strikeout, and the Pirates are going to use these next two months to give younger players a shot, there simply was no room for Kang.
“Love the growth of the man off the field,” Hurdle said. “Love the growth of the man in the clubhouse. Defensively, his game came back to him. He’s handled himself professionally with everything but consistency with the bat.”
Also on Friday, the Pirates recalled Pablo Reyes and Erik Gonzalez.
So, what now?
Reyes and Gonzalez will stand to benefit some from Kang no longer being a part of the Pirates' plans. So, too, will Jose Osuna, who has seven home runs in 89 at-bats this season.
The Pirates have tried Osuna in left field, but he started at third on Friday. Gonzalez, who hit just .192 during his rehab assignment with Class AAA Indianapolis, will serve as the primary infield backup.
While rehabbing a fractured left clavicle, Gonzalez suffered a left hamstring strain. The offensive numbers left a decent amount to be desired, although the Pirates like Gonzalez more for his defense than anything.
Reyes is an interesting case, too. He was on their opening-day roster but was optioned on May 4 when Kevin Newman returned from a right finger laceration.
What Reyes showed with the big club wasn’t much — he had a .128/.190/.128 slash line — but Reyes found some traction recently with the Indians. Over his past 16 games, Reyes was hitting .357 (20-for-56) with five home runs and 13 RBIs.
“When I went down to Triple-A , I was able to work a lot on my preparation, my mentality, the way that I prepared according to the game situations,” Reyes said through team translator Mike Gonzalez. “I learned some things about coming off the bench from other players and coaches. I was able to prepare my mind and body for that.”
Kela doubles down
Keone Kela said he wasn’t surprised that he got a 10-game suspension for his role in an on-field brawl with the Reds on Tuesday, even though he didn’t throw a punch.
Kela joked that his crime was being honest when he admitted he threw in the direction of Derek Dietrich’s head.
Speaking Friday, the reliever didn’t back down from any of his postgame comments and said pitchers should be more honest about what they’re trying to do.
“The truth will get you crucified,” Kela said. “At the end of the day, I’m not going to sit here and lie. I think the game sees enough of that. You guys [meaning media] have asked guys on different occasions what happened with a certain pitch. They’ll say that it slipped.
“We’re professionals. I think every guy knows where their pitch is going. You don’t make any pitch in the big leagues without intention because if you are, then you’re probably not going to last long in this game.”
Brault wild
Steven Brault struggled with his command during his rehab start on Thursday with Class AAA Indianapolis, giving up two earned runs on three hits with five walks and two strikeouts in four innings.
Brault threw 76 pitches but just 41 strikes.
“I think he was geared up and ready to go,” Hurdle said. “Maybe more geared up than even he thought he would be. We saw some fastball command glove-side that was good. Some arm-side stuff got away. Adrenaline was in play.”
Hurdle said the Pirates are still working through potential next steps for Brault.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: August 2, 2019, 7:38 p.m.
