One day after signing Brendan Rodgers to a minor league deal and two days after adding Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the big league squad, the Boston Red Sox have brought in yet another depth infielder to work towards completing their roster.
The Red Sox have claimed infielder Tsung-Che Cheng off waivers from the Washington Nationals (via Christopher Smith of MassLive). He takes the 40th spot on Boston's 40-man roster.
Cheng, 24, made his MLB debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season before he was designated for assignment in December. Since his DFA, he's been picked up by four different teams — the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets, Nationals and Red Sox.
This winter, former Red Sox assistant GM Paul Toboni took over as the Nationals' president of baseball operations. Before he accepted the job, Boston seemed primed to promote him to GM to serve more closely under Craig Breslow. Even after his departure, the Sox are trusting Toboni's instincts and taking players he once liked.
Red Sox select infielder Tsung-Che Cheng off waivers from Paul Toboni's Nationals
Cheng is a shortstop, second baseman and third baseman, which hits all the Red Sox's positions of need this coming season (until they add their final big league infielder). After Alex Bregman signed with the Chicago Cubs, Boston plans to move Marcelo Mayer to third base, Trevor Story will be their shortstop and second base is still up in the air. Mayer and Story have had injury issues throughout their career, and Cheng and Rodgers are solid insurance for them in case they end up hurt at any time.
Cheng has only played three big league games and still has rookie status. He didn't log a hit during his short time in the big leagues, but he batted .209/.307/.271 with a .578 OPS over 107 games with Triple-A Indianapolis. He walked quite a bit with 47 free passes, and he's fast, having swiped 18 bases in Triple-A.
Red Sox fans will be able to see Cheng in game action when he suits up for Taiwan in the World Baseball Classic. He may not last with the Red Sox that long since they're racking up middle infielders like they're going out of style, but he'll have a chance to make the roster this spring training.