Tsung-Che Cheng

The deal won’t be made official until the Tigers clear the requisite room on their 40-man roster which could take a day or two. Cheng, 25, appeared in 14 games with the Red Sox in 2026, slashing .256/.318/.282 with zero homers and five RBI in 44 plate appearances. He’ll add infield depth for the Tigers.

Cheng goes to make room for Curtis Mead on the active roster. He hit .256/.318/.282 in 44 plate appearances while helping to fill in for Trevor Story and Marcelo Mayer. Andruw Monasterio will serve as Boston’s everyday shortstop for now. Romy Gonzalez is probably the backup, though he hasn’t played the position in two years. Ceddanne Rafaela would probably be the better option, in truth.

Cheng has held his own in the majors as Boston’s fourth option at shortstop, going 6-for-22 with four RBI since being called up on June 26. He’ll still probably lose his spot if Trevor Story is able to return before the end of the month.

He’ll add infield depth with Marcelo Mayer (forearm) heading to the injured list. The 24-year-old infielder was hitting .254/.351/.424 with seven homers, 18 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 240 plate appearances at Triple-A Worcester. He can be ignored for fantasy purposes.

Cheng, who was claimed off waivers from the Nationals in February, hit .133/.409/.133 in 22 spring training plate appearances. Good eye. The 24-year-old will try to carve out a path to the majors in a crowded Red Sox infield situation at Worcester.

The Red Sox are loading up on infield depth over the last few days, but the team, and fans, probably hope that none of them have to play a meaningful role for the team in 2026. Cheng hit .207/.305/.267 slash line with one home run and 18 stolen bases in 107 Triple-A games last season with the Pirates organization. He has speed and can play mutliple positions on the field, but the 24-year-old is likely ticketed for Triple-A, no matter where he ends up.

The Nationals just claimed him off waivers on Wednesday, but will now move on after claiming George Soriano on Friday. The 24-year-old Cheng will try to latch on somewhere else.

Cheng was designated for assignment last week by the Mets last week. The Nationals are the third team to claim him this month. The 24-year-old put together a .207/.305/.267 slash line with one home run and 18 stolen bases in 107 Triple-A games last season in the Pirates organization and could provide speed and defense for the Nationals in a bench role should he make the club out of camp.

Chung’s third DFA of the winter comes nine days after the second, when the Rays put him on waivers to be claimed by the Mets. The former Pirates prospect is coming off a season in which he hit just .209/.307/.271 in Triple-A.

It’s the second time in two weeks that the 24-year-old shortstop has changed teams through waivers. The Rays claimed him from the Pirates on January 8, then designated him for assignment just a few days later to make room for Brett Wisely. He’ll now join the Mets. Cheng slashed an underwhelming .209/.307/.271 with just one home run and 18 stolen bases across 107 games at Triple-A Indianapolis during the 2025 season.

Cheng has been removed from Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster to make room for veteran utility infielder Brett Wisely. The 24-year-old shortstop was claimed off waivers from the Pirates last week after hitting .209/.307/.271 with one homer and 18 steals in 107 games for Triple-A Indianapolis. He got into three contests for Pittsburgh last season, going 0-for-7 at the dish.

The 24-year-old spent most of 2025 at Triple-A Indianapolis, but hit only .209 with a .578 OPS. However, he can play all over the infield and is a good defender, so it makes sense that a team that loves Taylor Walls would also like Cheng.

Cheng is removed from the 40-man roster after the Pirates traded for Brandon Lowe, Mason Montgomery and Jake Mangum on Friday evening. Cheng will now be on waivers, and if he goes unclaimed, it seems likely he’ll report back to Triple-A Indianapolis.