The Rays claimed Cheng off waivers from the Pirates on Wednesday.
Cheng went 0-for-7 with three strikeouts in his first taste of the majors in 2025 and also slashed only .209/.307/.271 during his time at Triple-A Indianapolis. The 24-year-old can play both middle-infield spots and is likely destined for Triple-A Durham to begin the 2026 campaign.
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Pirates' Tsung-Che Cheng: Set to join big club
Rotowire
The Pirates are expected to promote Cheng from Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of Monday's game against the Cardinals, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
He'll be joining the 26-man active roster as a replacement for infielder Jared Triolo (back), who is headed for the 10-day injured list. Cheng, 23, produced a .225/.329/.347 slash line to go with 11 home runs and 17 stolen bases in 132 games between Triple-A and Double-A Altoona in 2024. He's gotten off to a poor start to 2025 at Indianapolis by going 1-for-14 with eight strikeouts, so the Pirates aren't likely to hand him meaningful playing time right off the bat. His main value to the Pirates will come from his ability to play three infield spots (second base, third base and shortstop).
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Pirates' Tsung-Che Cheng: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Pirates optioned Cheng to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old had a strong showing in big-league camp with a 1.178 OPS in 12 spring games, but he'll begin the campaign at the Triple-A level. Cheng received a promotion to Indianapolis late last season but spent most of the year at Double-A Altoona, where he had a .218/.320/.341 slash line in 126 contests.
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Pirates' Tsung-Che Cheng: Sent down to Double-A
Rotowire
The Pirates optioned Cheng to Double-A Altoona on Tuesday.
Cheng earned a spot on the Pirates' 40-man roster earlier this offseason but was always destined to return to the minors to begin 2024. The 22-year-old is probably another year or so away from reaching the big leagues.
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Pirates' Tsung-Che Cheng: Promoted to Double-A
Rotowire
Cheng was promoted to Double-A Altoona on Thursday, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.
Cheng had a dominant 57-game run for High-A Greensboro, slashing .308/.406/.575 with nine home runs, 13 steals and a 47:35 K:BB in 254 plate appearances. Trimming his groundball rate to 42.1 percent and upping his flyball rate from 28.9% to 34.1% has helped fuel Cheng's improvement as a power hitter. The 5-foot-7 infielder fits best at second base long term.
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Pirates' Tsung-Che Cheng: Lifting, pulling at High-A
Rotowire
Cheng has a .262/.382/.524 slash line with four home runs, nine steals and an 18.5 percent strikeout rate in 29 games for High-A Greensboro.
The 5-foot-7 infielder has split time evenly at shortstop and second base for the Grasshoppers, and his likely long-term home is the keystone. Cheng's command of the strike zone has been impeccable dating back to 2021 when he was in complex ball, but this power output is unexpected for the 21-year-old. He has the highest pull (46.9 percent) and flyball (37.2 percent) rates of his career.
