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Tsung-Che Cheng

Pirates Designate Marco Luciano, Tsung-Che Cheng For Assignment

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The Pirates are designating outfielder Marco Luciano and infielder Tsung-Che Cheng for assignment, as first reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. Pittsburgh needed to open two spots on the 40-man roster after this morning’s three-team trade that netted Brandon Lowe, Mason Montgomery and Jake Mangum.

Luciano, 24, was a waiver claim from the Giants a couple weeks ago. It was a no-risk flier on a former top prospect who has yet to show much at the big league level. Luciano once ranked among the sport’s top 15 minor league talents at Baseball America. He was then a teenage shortstop with massive raw power upside in a 6’1″ frame. His bat has stalled against higher level pitching and he has moved to left field after struggling with errors on the dirt.

San Francisco gave Luciano limited looks in 2023 and ’24. He hit .217/.286/.304 while striking out 45 times in 126 trips to the plate. The Giants kept him in Triple-A for the entire 2025 season. Luciano connected on 23 home runs while walking more than 15% of the time, but he struck out at a near-31% rate. He whiffed on more than 35% of his swings against Triple-A pitching. While Luciano hits the ball hard when he makes contact, the swing-and-miss and limited defensive profile have dropped his stock. He’s also out of minor league options, so he’ll need to stick on an MLB roster or continue bouncing around via DFA limbo.

Cheng is also a 24-year-old who had some prospect attention not too long ago. He was never as well regarded as Luciano was early in his career, yet he ranked among Pittsburgh’s top 10 prospects as recently as 2024. A lefty-hitting infielder, he appeared in his first three big league contests in April. He went 0-7 with three strikeouts and was caught stealing in his only attempt. He spent the rest of the season at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he managed a .207/.305/.267 line with one home run in 406 plate appearances.

The Taiwanese-born Cheng is a good athlete and a versatile defender, but he has been a below-average hitter since reaching the Double-A level in 2023. He has one option year remaining. Pittsburgh has five days to trade or waive both players.

Pirates Promote Tsung-Che Cheng

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3:45pm: The Pirates have now made these moves official. Triolo’s injury was described as a lumbar spine strain.

1:25pm: The Pirates are going to promote infielder Tsung-Che Cheng to the majors, reports Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. He is already on the 40-man roster but will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. Fellow infielder Jared Triolo will head to the 10-day injured list due to a lower back injury.

Cheng, 23, was an international signing out of Taiwan in 2019. His profile has a solid foundation from his speed and defense. Offensively, his approach has been leaned more to the contact-oriented side without too much power. Baseball America currently ranks him as the #19 prospect in the Pirates’ system.

He has appeared in 402 minor league games across various levels thus far in his career, with 1,684 trips to the plate. His 12.5% walk rate and 19.8% strikeout rate are both better than average, with 34 home runs in that time. Overall, he has hit .260/.359/.411 for a 117 wRC+. He has racked up double-digits steals in each year of his career. Lately, Cheng hit .353/.400/.647 in spring training but then .071/.133/.071 in five games for Triple-A Indianapolis.

Defensively, Cheng has primarily played shortstop but has also taken notable playing time at second base and occasional stints at third. He seems likely to take over Triolo’s utility role. The Bucs have had Isiah Kiner-Falefa at short, Ke’Bryan Hayes at third and Adam Frazier at second on most days but with players like Triolo, Enmanuel Valdéz and Endy Rodríguez also factoring into the infield mix. Triolo was a late scratch from yesterday’s contest due to back soreness and will now get a chance to heal up while Cheng helps fill in the gap.

Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images

Pirates Select Braxton Ashcraft, Tsung-Che Cheng

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The Pirates announced they’ve added right-hander Braxton Ashcraft and infielder Tsung-Che Cheng to the 40-man roster. Pittsburgh’s roster count now sits at 39.

Ashcraft, 24, was a second-round pick out of a Texas high school in 2018. The 6’5″ hurler has moved slowly through the minors. The canceled season cost him a development year in 2020. He subsequently underwent Tommy John surgery and barely pitched from 2021-22. Ashcraft returned to the mound this past season, logging 52 2/3 innings through 19 starts. He posted a 2.39 ERA while striking out just under 30% of opposing hitters against a tidy 5.2% walk rate.

Baseball America recently slotted Ashcraft as the #10 prospect in the Bucs’ system, praising a four-pitch arsenal. Cheng slotted just above him, ranking ninth on that list. A native of Taiwan, he’s a 5’7″ middle infielder. As one would expect given his size, the left-handed hitter draws more praise for his contact skills and athleticism than huge power upside. He split the season between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona, faring far better at the former stop. Between the two affiliates, Cheng hit .278/.353/.456 with 12 homers and 26 stolen bases. He struck out just 18.7% of the time while drawing walks at a 9.7% clip.

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