Pirates infielder investigated for alleged sexual assault in Chicago hotel

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang is being investigated for an alleged sexual assault reported last month when the team was in Chicago.

The recent woes on the field for Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang could be the least of his problems. An article by the Chicago Tribune details how the second year player, who finished third in the voting for Rookie of the Year in 2015, is being investigated by police for an alleged sexual assault reported by a 23-year-old woman from the city.

According to the report, the two met on a dating app, and the victim met with Kang at his hotel when the Pirates were in town to play the Cubs in May:

"The woman told investigators she arrived at Kang’s room at the Westin Hotel around 10 p.m. and he served her an alcoholic drink, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. She said she blacked out about 15 to 20 minutes later, then drifted in and out of consciousness as he sexually assaulted her.She told police she did not fully awaken until she was in a taxi and on her way home, according to Guglielmi."

The victim later went to the hospital and had a rape kit done. She filed a police report on the alleged incident 10 days later.

Both the Pirates and Major League Baseball released statements saying that they are aware of the investigation and will wait to see how it plays out before taking any possible discipline.

Kang signed a four-year contract with the team before the 2015 season, a year that was cut short when he broke his leg in a collision with the Cubs’ Chris Coghlan. So far in 2016, Kang is batting just .121 in the last 11 games he played. He has sat out three of the Pirates’ last six games while mired in his current slump.

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