The Tampa Bay Rays have claimed Taiwanese INF Tsung-Che Cheng from the Pirates, filling the final open slot on the 40-man roster.
Interestingly, Cheng was designated for assignment to make room for Brandon Lowe, making him a sort of final piece of the trade.
Cheng was signed in 2019 for $380,000 but did not make his professional debut until 2021 due to the pandemic. Despite an easy transition into minor league baseball, Cheng struggled at Double-A in 2024 but focused on adding strength in order to better barrel up high velocity pitching, per FanGraphs, which describes his fielding as fairly entertaining: “he’s acrobatic, creative, plays with big effort, and finds a way to make most plays.”
He was called up to the Pirates due to an injury to Jared Triolo, and far earlier than expected given his trajectory.
Cheng made his MLB debut on April 9, 2025, becoming the 18th Taiwanese player in MLB history. He appeared in just 3 games across two series, going 0-for-7 with 3 strikeouts and no walks or stolen bases, before being optioned back to the minors.
After that cup of coffee, he spent the year with Triple-A Indianapolis (107 games) and a short time with High-A Bradenton. Across 110 minor league games, he hit .207/.305/.267 (62 wRC+) with 1 home run, 36 RBI, 12 doubles, 3 triples, and 20 stolen bases (in 28 attempts), striking out 101 times in 348 at-bats (24.9%) with 48 walks (11.8%).
If he can survive the 40-man roster, he could be an injury replacement on the infield down the line. Otherwise, he’s likely one of the last players to be considered secure on the roster should the Rays
