MLB notebook: Kang gets visa, working way back to Pirates

[April 27, 2018]  The Pittsburgh Pirates could soon receive an unexpected boost in the form of Korean infielder Jung Ho Kang, who hit .273 with 36 home runs and 120 RBIs across two seasons with Pittsburgh from 2015-16.

Kang, 31, has been granted a work visa to re-enter the United States, the Pirates announced Thursday. He'll rejoin the organization in the coming days after missing the entire 2017 season following his third DUI arrest in South Korea in December of 2016.

Kang received an eight-month suspended prison sentence last year for the offense.

The Pirates say Kang will report to the team's facility in Bradenton, Fla., after fulfilling obligations laid out by the treatment program he agreed to in January of 2017. He'll remain on the restricted list while he gets in condition to make his return to the major leagues.

--Chicago standout third baseman Kris Bryant will be out of the lineup for the third straight game when the Cubs host the Milwaukee Brewers.

Bryant has been sidelined since being plunked in the head during Sunday's game against the Colorado Rockies. He remains under evaluation by the Cubs even though a concussion was initially ruled out.

Bryant is scheduled to meet with team trainers later Thursday. Cubs manager Joe Maddon told reporters Wednesday that he expected Bryant to return soon. Bryant is batting .319 with two home runs and 11 RBIs.

--The city of Boston's Public Improvement Commission has unanimously voted to approve the name change of Yawkey Way, a street outside Fenway Park.

The Boston Red Sox filed a petition to change the name in February in an effort to distance themselves from the legacy of former owner Tom Yawkey. The Red Sox were the last major league team to integrate under Yawkey's ownership, not doing so until 1959.

The stretch of road's name will be changed to Jersey Street, which is what it was called before being renamed in honor of Yawkey in 1977.

-- St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Tommy Pham batted second in the team's lineup and went 4-for-6 with two runs and an RBI Thursday after leaving Wednesday's game with a head injury suffered in the indoor batting cage.

Pham cut his head when he accidentally hit himself while taking his swings in the cage prior to his second at-bat of Wednesday's game. Harrison Bader pinch hit for him in the bottom of the third.

Pham missed two games last weekend because of a hamstring injury. The 30-year-old is hitting .368 with three home runs, eight RBIs and five stolen bases in 22 games this season.

-- The Cleveland Indians placed left-hander Andrew Miller on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain.

The move comes one day after Miller departed Wednesday's game against the Chicago Cubs after throwing just two pitches in the seventh inning. Miller underwent an MRI exam prior to the Indians announcing the transaction.

The 32-year-old is unscored upon in 10 innings over 11 appearances this season. He is 1-0 and has struck out 17 batters. The Indians selected the contract of left-hander Jeff Beliveau from Triple-A Columbus to fill the roster spot.

--The Cincinnati Reds activated third baseman Eugenio Suarez from the 10-day disabled list and selected the contract of utility man Rosell Herrera from Triple-A Louisville.

Outfielder Phillip Ervin and infielder Cliff Pennington were optioned to Louisville in corresponding moves.

Suarez returns after missing 16 games because of a right thumb fracture suffered when he was hit by a pitch. The 26-year-old was off to a solid start at the plate before getting injured, hitting .296 with two home runs and seven RBIs in eight games.

--The Seattle Mariners activated first baseman Ryon Healy from the 10-day disabled list, optioning first baseman Daniel Vogelbach to Triple-A Tacoma in a corresponding move.

Healy has missed the team's last 16 games with a right ankle injury. He previously missed time during spring training after undergoing surgery to remove a bone spur in his right hand.

The 26-year-old has hit .091 (2-for-22) with four RBIs in six games with the Mariners this season after being acquired from the Oakland Athletics in November. He hit .333 with a home run and six RBIs in four rehab games with Double-A Arkansas.

--Field Level Media

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