Kang entered the year the starting third baseman for the Pirates after a homer-happy spring, but has struggled so far. He was slashing .133/.204/.300 with 31 strikeouts in 98 plate appearances.
To take his place on the roster, the Pirates selected the contract of utilityman Jake Elmore from AAA Indianapolis. Elmore has accumulated 478 major league plate appearances over five partial seasons, slashing .215/.297/.280. He has not appeared in a major league game since 2016, though he has performed well at the plate at AAA the past two seasons. His 154 wRC+ ranks seventh among International League batters with at least 100 PAs.