Bae Ji-hwan of the Pittsburgh Pirates before a Major League Baseball regular-season game against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida, on Monday. (AP-Yonhap)
Bae Ji-hwan of the Pittsburgh Pirates before a Major League Baseball regular-season game against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida, on Monday. (AP-Yonhap)

The Pittsburgh Pirates' utility player Bae Ji-hwan has been sent down to the minor leagues after a slow start to the 2025 season.

The Pirates announced Thursday that they have optioned Bae to their Triple-A affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians.

Bae cracked the Opening Day roster last month for the first time since 2023 after leading the Pirates with 16 hits and 13 runs scored in spring training.

However, Bae went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his season debut Saturday and then got thrown out at third as a pinch runner the next day. Bae has not played since.

Bae's demotion leaves San Francisco Giants center fielder Lee Jung-hoo as the only South Korean on an active big league roster at the moment.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Kim Ha-seong is on the injured list while recovering from shoulder injury and he is expected to be back by late April or early May. (Yonhap)