Jung Ho Kang's return has shifted into uncertain territory

In the early morning hours here in the United States, it was reported that Pirates' 3rd baseman Jung Ho Kang lost his appeal and the courts in South Korea upheld their sentence on Kang, which is an 8-month jail sentence that he can avoid if he stays clean for two years. 

Before the appeal but after the sentencing, Jung Ho Kang applied for a work visa to come to the U.S to continue his baseball career with the Pirates; his request for a visa was turned down, thus holding him in South Korea through at least the appeals process. But now that the process is over and things are clearing up and we know Kang's sentence won't be reduced, the question of Jung Ho Kang's return shifts from a question of "when" to a question of "if". 

Knowing that Kang's visa was denied before the appeal could signify that they wanted to let the appeal process play out and wanted to make certain Kang in the country for it; however such a thing seems like stretch considering the circumstances. So instead, it is likely they did not feel that Kang deserved a work visa to the United States given his history of crimes in South Korea. And now that the court has upheld their decision on the sentencing, you have to place a very slim chance that his work visa request would be accepted this time around. 

The twists and turns of this Jung Ho Kang saga could have your head spinning, and for good reason. Here's one thing to wrap your head around though: it doesn't appear Kang will be back in the United States playing baseball anytime soon, and there will certainly be wonders of if he will ever play baseball professionally ever again. I'm not saying there's no chance that he returns, but now we've have entered the part of this saga where the idea of him not returning is something to prepare for.