Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang has resumed baseball activities in Bradenron, Fla., as he continues to recover from major leg surgery.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The hardware remains in Jung Ho Kang’s left knee, rods and plates from the surgical procedure that ended his first year in Major League Baseball. It’s not going anywhere, either, so long as it doesn’t cause problems.

So far, the knee is healing well. Kang, who came to Pirate City in December to rehabilitate, has returned to baseball activities without issue.

“Good,” he said, in English, Tuesday, the eve of the date by which pitchers and catchers must report to spring training. “Everything’s better.”

Kang said he doesn’t know if he will be ready by Opening Day. The Pirates estimated a six- to eight-month recovery time after Kang’s Sept. 17 surgery, meaning a return to competition any time between mid-March and mid-May is possible. During PirateFest in December, general manager Neal Huntington said the Pirates expected Kang back in April rather than May.

When Kang reaches full strength, though, he will still need to accrue enough preseason plate appearances to hone his timing. That process might force him to start the season on the disabled list and ensure he has a full spring training’s worth of plate appearances against major league velocity, be it in spring training or extended spring games.

Given where he was on Sept. 17, though, he is doing great. Kang, playing his first year in MLB after nine seasons in his native South Korea, hit .287 with 15 home runs and an .816 on-base plus slugging percentage. The Chicago Cubs had the bases loaded and nobody out in the top of the first inning on a Thursday afternoon at PNC Park when Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo grounded Charlie Morton’s offering to the right side. Neil Walker threw to Kang at second to start a double play.

As Kang set his legs to throw to first, Cubs outfielder Chris Coghlan, the runner from first, slid sideways to break up the play. Coghlan’s right knee collided with Kang’s left knee and buckled it. The collision fractured the tibial plateau, the top of one of the bones in the lower leg, in Kang’s right knee, and also damaged the lateral meniscus.

“I don’t think it was intentional at all,” Kang said. “The player, Coghlan, was just breaking up a double play.”