Who is he and where did he come from?
He’s Tsung-Che Cheng. If you’re asking where Cheng geographically calls home, that would be Pingtung County, Taiwan. Cheng, who turns just 25 next month, hit .333, walked 5 times and stole 4 bases without getting caught in the World Baseball Classic while playing for the Taipei team. He then reported back to Worcester where he got the club’s first cycle since the relocation to Worcester in short order and then proceeded to slash .254/.351/.424 with seven home runs, becoming one of the team’s most
consistent hitters.
It’s no secret that the Red Sox’ infield depth is in shambles right now, and so Cheng was given the call with just hours to spare to replace Marcelo Mayer as the infielder headed to the IL for some Red Sox-Yankees baseball at Fenway Park this weekend. Cheng wasted little time, getting his first RBI in his first at-bat, a fielder’s choice, and his first hit in the fourth inning.
Is he any good?
He can be. What’s good about Cheng is he can be so many different things. He’s versatile in the field, playing all those middle infield positions but specializing at shortstop, certainly a position of interest since the Red Sox’s injury list is ever-growing. Cheng wasn’t fortunate in his quest to get an MLB hit in stints with the Pirates and Rays, but that speaks more to the amount of time he spent on the roster. He finds balls with the barrel, ranking in the upper echelons of Triple-A in barrel percentage. If you have seen that meme of the couple holding hands and the boyfriend with his back turned towards another woman, the former is Kristian Campbell, who remains in Triple-A, so he’s at least been better than Campbell, and, in my humble opinion, has more upside. He’s also a threat on the basepaths.
Tl;dr, just give me the stats.
(64 games) .254/.351/.424, 7 HR, 3 3B, 10 SB
Show me a cool highlight.
Here’s a home run in the WBC.
What’s he doing in his picture up there?
That ball looked like it was about to leave the park for his first Major League hit in 9 plate appearances dating back to last season. It was such a great moment. Makes me amped how facing the Yankees can give us these moments.
What’s his role on the 2026 Red Sox?
This really depends on how serious a number of these infield injuries are. Trevor Story won’t be back any time soon. IKF may not be in any rush either. Romy Gonzalez is due back any day, but Marcelo Mayer may need a bit of time with that bone stress reaction, and the timeline isn’t entirely clear with Nick Sogard’s injury, either. Who knows.
In the meantime, Cheng has made contact in Worcester, and the 2026 Red Sox, for all their shortcomings, have a good track record with bringing guys up who appeared to be locked into Triple-A for the year who went hitless in their first Major League stint (the other being Mickey Gasper). It would appear Cheng is up for long enough to either win an every day role as the team hurls towards a trade deadline where they’ll be selling some roster parts off, and one would think a 25-year-old infielder who’s quick on the basepaths and has a contact tool will be left among the rubble come August.
