Tigers Acquire Tsung-Che Cheng From Red Sox for Cash

The Tigers acquired infielder Tsung-Che Cheng from the Red Sox for cash considerations, adding a left-handed hitter with experience at shortstop and second base.

The transaction is recorded on October 29 in MLB’s official log. Friday’s trade reports followed the Thursday deal, with Cheng adding another left-handed option for a club facing imminent offseason roster decisions.

Cheng, 25, played 14 games for Boston this season and hit .256, collecting 10 hits in 39 at-bats with a double and five RBIs. His first major league hit came during his Red Sox debut on June 26.

His larger workload came at Triple-A Worcester. In 94 games, he batted .241 with a .345 on-base percentage and .390 slugging percentage, eight home runs, 30 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. That .735 OPS was his highest across three Triple-A seasons.

The Taiwanese infielder signed with Pittsburgh in 2019 and made his major league debut for the Pirates in 2025. His delayed professional debut had come in 2021 after the pandemic had canceled the 2020 minor league season.

Boston claimed him in February after stops with Tampa Bay, the Mets and Washington. His move to Detroit now comes through a trade rather than another waiver claim.

Cheng is out of minor league options, according to MLive’s Evan Woodbery. That matters for Detroit’s planning: sending him to the minors would require clearing waivers, rather than simply using an optional assignment to maintain depth.

The Tigers had 36 players on their 40-man roster after the deal, with eight others on the 60-day injured list. Those players must be reinstated or removed by Monday, creating another round of roster decisions.

Cheng joins an organization that already has several middle-infield alternatives. The acquisition supplies another candidate for 2027 without establishing a starting job or guaranteeing he remains on the roster.