Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang was officially removed from the South Korea's World Baseball Classic roster on Wednesday, hours after Seoul police said they were seeking to indict Kang on a DUI charge _ his third DUI arrest since 2009 _ stemming from a Dec. 3 incident.
Manager In-Sik Kim told Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday he was "leaning toward" removing Kang from the roster because of "worsening public opinion." After meeting with coaches at the Korean Baseball Organization headquarters, Kim decided to replace Kang with Ha-Seong Kim, the shortstop for Nexen Heroes, Kang's former Korean Baseball Organization team.
"As we all know, Kang has had some issues," Kim told Yonhap News. "So our coaching staff made this call (to drop him from the roster)."
Neither the Pirates nor Major League Baseball has disciplined Kang yet. He will be assessed by a joint panel agreed upon by the league and the players' union.
Kang also is under investigation for an alleged sexual assault in Chicago last summer. He has not been charged in that case.
