Pirates' Bae suspended 30 games
Pirates No. 16 prospect Ji-Hwan Bae has been suspended 30 games for a violation of the Minor League Baseball Player Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy, the Commissioner's Office announced Wednesday.
The punishment stems from an incident on New Year's Eve in 2017 in Bae's native South Korea. Last October, a South Korean court found the 19-year-old guilty of assaulting his then-girlfriend Seul-Gi Kim, who said Bae choked and kicked her that night. According to the Athletic, the allegations first arose last April when Kim posted Instagram pictures of bruises she said were caused by Bae.
The Pirates signed Bae for $1.25 million in March 2018. He had been signed by the Braves previously but was made a free agent as part of Major League Baseball's punishment for Atlanta's violations of international signing rules. He produced a .271/.362/.349 line with 10 stolen bases over 35 games in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League last season.
The infielder played five games for Class A Greensboro before the suspension was announced, including Wednesday's game in Augusta.
Sam Dykstra is a reporter for MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @SamDykstraMiLB.