FORT MYERS, Fla. _ Asked about whether it is reasonable to rule out Jung Ho Kang for Opening Day, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said, "We're pretty much there."
This is no surprise. Not only has Kang missed the entirety of spring training thus far, more than a month of work, but he is still waiting for a visa that will allow him to leave South Korea and enter the United States. After receiving an eight-month sentence, suspended for two years, for a DUI arrest, Kang reportedly appealed the sentence.
"We're to a point in time where it's unrealistic to think Jung Ho's going to be ready for Opening Day," Huntington said. "We remain optimistic we're going to get him here hopefully sooner than later. Now the challenge is if we don't, if it takes some time, we've built this club and feel good about the guys we have here."
The Pirates were prepared for this. They extended David Freese last summer and traded for Phil Gosselin this spring, as Kang's legal case grew increasingly complicated.
