Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates sign Jung Ho Kang to 1-year contract

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed infielder Jung Ho Kang to a one-year contract for the 2019 season, the team announced Thursday.

Kang, who became a free agent last week, went 2-for-6 in three games with the Pirates in September after returning from the MLB Restricted List and then the Disabled List.

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“We appreciate Jung Ho’s hard work to get back to being a productive Major League player, while continuing to handle himself appropriately off the field,” Pirates executive vice president and general manager Neal Huntington said in a statement Thursday. “We feel that bringing Jung Ho back in 2019 will make us better as he will have the ability to make a positive impact on our lineup. Competition and options are important to any organization and this signing provides us with both.”

Kang, 31, played nine seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization before signing a four-year contract with the Pirates on Jan. 16, 2015.

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