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Yu Chang

Yu Chang Likely Joining CPBL’s Fubon Guardians

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Infielder Yu Chang announced on his social media that he is planning to enter the 2024 draft for the Chinese Professional Baseball League of Taiwan, relayed by CPBL Stats on X. Per a report from Kayleigh Madjar at the Taipei Times, the Fubon Guardians have the top pick in the draft, which is scheduled for Friday next week. It seems the Guardians plan to select Chang as the club released a statement saying that they have been in contact with Chang for some time, adding that the “look forward to [Chang] wearing a Fubon Guardians jersey in the second half of the season.” Per CPBL Stats on X, the Guardians will likely offer Chang a contract of 3.5 years worth between $2.34MM and $2.67MM USD. The Guardians are also expected to give the Rays $100K to buy Chang out of his minor league deal with that club.

“It’s been ten years working away from home, I miss home very much,” Chang said on his social media. “Therefore I’ve decided to enter the 2024 CPBL draft. I really appreciate that the Rays organization has been very understanding and supportive of my decision. I’m currently in Florida playing rehab games, will be 100% healthy and get back to the game soon!”

Chang, now 28, was born in Taiwan and signed with Cleveland as an international free agent in 2013. On his way up the minor league ladder, he was generally considered one of that club’s top prospects. Baseball America had him on the Cleveland top 30 for seven straight years starting in 2015.

Broadly speaking, he hit well in the upper levels of the minors but was never able to do much at the major league level. His Triple-A production was usually solid, as he hit .264/.339/.436 at that level over multiple seasons. He was also a good defender around the infield. Both Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average considered him an above-average fielder at all four spots on the dirt.

But multiple call-ups with Cleveland saw him struggle at the plate and get sent back down. He exhausted his final option year in 2021, which kicked off a nomadic period of his career. He was designated for assignment by the Cleveland Guardians in May of 2022 but got plenty of interest from other clubs, hoping that he could bring some of that Triple-A production up to the majors and combine it with his strong glovework. He would go to the Pirates, Rays and Red Sox on cash deals or waiver claims throughout the 2022 season, failing to stick with any of them.

Boston non-tendered him after that season and then re-signed him for 2023. He played for Chinese Taipei in that year’s World Baseball Classic, putting up a huge line of .438/.500/.938. But he suffered a hamate fracture early in the MLB season which sent him to the injured list for a few months. His offensive struggles continued when he returned and he was designated for assignment in August. Over the five big league seasons from 2019 to 2023, he hit .204/.265/.359 in his 650 major league plate appearances.

Chang signed a minor league deal with the Rays coming into 2024 but hasn’t been able to play much this year. An oblique strain suffered in late February came with a six to eight week recovery timeline. Per his MLB.com transactions tracker, he was activated off the minor league injured list on April 26 but was sent back there on May 22. He had appeared in just 14 games in the interim.

If all goes as reported, it’s possible Chang’s time in North American ball is over. If he signs a deal that covers the remainder of this season and three more, he will be 32 years old by the time that pact runs out.

Injury Notes: Scherzer, Donovan, Lodolo, Chang

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Max Scherzer is one of a trio of key Rangers starters who’ll open the season on the injured list. The three-time Cy Young winner underwent surgery in mid-December to repair a disc herniation in his back. The team announced at the time that the injury would keep him out of action into June or July.

It appears things are going well in the early stages of Scherzer’s rehab process. Manager Bruce Bochy told MLB Network this week the team envisions the star righty being back on an MLB mound by June (X link). The veteran skipper said that’s “a little bit earlier” than the team initially expected. Bochy indicated the club was shooting for a July return for offseason signee Tyler Mahle and a potential August timetable on Jacob deGrom, both of whom are working back from Tommy John procedures.

A few other health notes around the league:

  • Brendan Donovan is preparing for a rebound after his 2023 season was cut short. An injury to his throwing arm initially required the Cardinals infielder to move to designated hitter. With the team out of contention by the trade deadline, Donovan shut things down and underwent season-ending surgery. While that was initially reported as a flexor tendon repair in his forearm, Donovan clarified to John Denton of MLB.com that he actually had an internal brace procedure to fix the UCL in his elbow (on X). The 27-year-old is back in action this spring and should split most of his time with Nolan Gorman between second base and DH.
  • Reds starter Nick Lodolo was limited to seven appearances in 2023 because of a stress reaction in his left tibia. That bothersome issue kept him out of action from mid-May on. The southpaw apparently isn’t quite at 100%. Lodolo has yet to make his Spring Training debut because of residual leg discomfort on days after his bullpen or live batting practice sessions, manager David Bell told reporters (link via Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer). The Reds are sending Lodolo for additional testing on the bone before deciding on the next step in his build-up process. That’s at least somewhat alarming, although Bell said the team is still hopeful that Lodolo will avoid opening the season on the injured list.
  • The Rays lost one of their depth infielders to what’ll be a fairly significant injury. Yu Chang will be out six to eight weeks after suffering an oblique strain, manager Kevin Cash told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (relayed on X). That was the concern when the team revealed that Chang was dealing with left side soreness earlier in the week. The defensive specialist is in camp on a minor league contract. He had a shot at securing an Opening Day bench spot, particularly with Taylor Walls opening the season on the IL, but that’s no longer in play. The Rays have declared José Caballero their expected starter at shortstop. Recent free agent pickup Amed Rosario is on hand as a multi-positional option who’d likely be Caballero’s primary backup.

Rays Notes: Lowe, Chang, Littell

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The Rays are shutting down outfielder Josh Lowe from all baseball activity for the next six days due to inflammation in his left hip, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Lowe could be out of games for up to 15 days while he lets the issue calm down, but manager Kevin Cash tells Topkin that the team is “not overly concerned” and doesn’t think Lowe is in jeopardy of missing Opening Day.

The 26-year-old Lowe had a breakout 2023 season, slashing .292/.335/.500 with 20 homers, 32 stolen bases and quality defense across all three outfield spots (primarily right field). The majority of his playing time came against right-handed pitching, though Lowe wasn’t completely overmatched even in 67 left-on-left matchups (.238/.284/.429). He’s expected to be in the lineup on a near-everyday basis in 2024, so while the team and player are both projecting confidence he’ll be ready for the start of the season, his progression from the current hip issue is worth watching with a careful eye. If Lowe were to wind up missing time, Jonny DeLuca and Richie Palacios would be among the options to step up.

Also ailing is non-roster invitee Yu Chang, who’ll be down at least two weeks with an oblique injury, per the Times’ Kristie Ackert (X link). If testing reveals a strain of any note, there’s a chance Chang could miss the remainder of camp, as even Grade 1 oblique strains regularly shelve players for a month or more. Cash seems to be anticipating an absence of some note, calling the injury “unfortunate” and noting that Chang will likely “miss some time” (via Topkin’s column).

The slick-fielding Chang went 1-for-3 with a homer to begin his spring tenure with the Rays as he competes for what would be his second MLB stint with the team. As a career .204/.269/.359 hitter in 650 big league plate appearances, Chang would seem unlikely to provide the Rays with much at the plate — should be make the team. However, he’s a strong and versatile defender, with at least 300 innings and quality defensive ratings at all four infield spots.

Like Chang, right-hander Zack Littell is no stranger to coming to big league camp and fighting for a job. This spring is different for the 28-year-old, however, as he’s locked into a rotation spot for the first time in his career. He spoke with MLB.com’s Adam Berry about the freedom that gives him to experiment with tweaks to his pitches, mechanics, etc. without fearing poor results will cost him a job.

“It’s nice to have a true six weeks where … you can go out there and you can really play with this stuff and find what works, and either run with it or say, ’Hey, we’re going the wrong direction,'” Littell said.

Though he was a starter in the upper minors and a well-regarded prospect with the Mariners, Yankees and Twins, Littell quickly settled into a relief role in the majors and has since begun to bounce around the league via a series of DFAs and waiver claims. The Rays claimed him from the Red Sox last May, initially deploying him in his familiar bullpen role, but stretched Littell back out closer to the trade deadline as injuries on the pitching staff mounted.

Few could’ve predicted just how well what looked like a desperation move wound up panning out. Over a span of 11 starts, Littell posted a 3.38 ERA in 65 innings of work. That mark was propped up by a .262 average on balls in play and 77% strand rate; paired with a sub-par strikeout rate, it led metrics like FIP (4.04) and SIERA (4.26) to take a bit more of a bearish outlook on Littell’s contributions. It’s also worth wondering whether he can sustain the sensational 1.9% walk rate — more than six percentage points south of his career mark — he turned in during that time.

Regardless, Littell pitched his way into an opportunity to show he can sustain success out of a big league rotation. Cash made perfectly clear that he’ll be given every chance to do so, telling Berry that Littell is currently in line to start the team’s second or third game of the season.

If the Rays have pulled yet another rabbit out of their hat on the starting pitching front and can successfully keep Littell productive in his new role, it’ll prove to be an affordable, multi-year solution. As a player with 4.043 years of MLB service, Littell is under club control through 2025. And with his limited big league track record to date, this year’s arbitration salary clocked in at a modest $1.85MM. If he can indeed sustain some of last year’s rotation success, he could hold a spot in the rotation into next season, when he’d likely still cost the club under $5MM.

Rays Sign Yu Chang To Minor League Deal

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The Rays announced Monday that they’ve signed versatile infielder Yu Chang to a minor league contract. He’s been invited to big league camp and will compete for a spot on manager Kevin Cash’s bench.

It’s the second Rays stint for Chang, who played 36 games and slashed .260/.305/.385 in 105 plate appearances with Tampa Bay in 2022. The Rays were one of four teams for Chang that season. He’s appeared in each of the past five MLB campaigns, suiting up for Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Boston along the way. In 650 trips to the plate at the MLB level, Chang is a .204/.269/.359 hitter.

Chang likely won’t offer a ton at the plate against either left-handed or right-handed pitching. He’s a right-handed hitter without a glaring platoon split; if anything, he’s been slightly better against same-handed opponents in his career than he has versus southpaws. He’s shown modest pop over the past three seasons (.167 ISO, 16 homers in 553 plate appearances), but that’s been accompanied by a 5.4% walk rate and ugly 29.3% strikeout rate.

Now 28 years old, Chang has logged time at all four infield positions in his career, with a relatively even distribution of playing time between the four spots. Both Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average consider him a strong defensive player at each of second base, shortstop, third base and first base.

Chang offers the Rays some depth all around the infield, which is of extra importance with Wander Franco in legal limbo and Taylor Walls recovering from offseason hip surgery. At the moment, they expect trade acquisition Jose Caballero to be the primary shortstop, with Isaac Paredes at third base, Brandon Lowe at second base and Yandy Diaz at first base. Jonathan Aranda, Osleivis Basabe, Curtis Mead and Junior Caminero (one of the top prospects in all of baseball) are all on the 40-man roster and give the Rays plenty of exciting young options to consider in their ever-changing infield outlook.

The Top Unsigned Shortstops

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Pitchers and catchers will be reporting to Spring Training in about three weeks but a slow offseason means there are still plenty of free agents out there. MLBTR already took a look at the center fielders and catchers still available and will now take a look at some notable shortstops.

  • Tim Anderson: It’s no secret that last year was a disaster for Anderson, a stunning drop-off from his previous performance. From 2019 to 2022, he hit .318/.347/.473 for a wRC+ of 123. Last year, his line was just .245/.286/.296. His wRC+ of 60 was the lowest of all qualified hitters in the league. His defense also seemed to take a step back. Despite that rough year, his prior track record and a weak free agent class should get him a chance somewhere. Optimists could perhaps point to an April knee injury as the culprit for 2023, with better health perhaps leading to better results. Anderson has expressed a willingness to move to other positions going forward, but the lack of better alternatives should work in his favor.
  • Amed Rosario: Like Anderson, Rosario also experienced a big drop-off in 2023, though not quite as precipitous. He hit .282/.315/.412 from 2019 to 2022, leading to a wRC+ of 101. The reviews on his glovework were mixed. Last year, he hit just .263/.305/.378 between the Guardians and Dodgers, leading to an 88 wRC+. The latter club, after acquiring him in a trade, had him spend more time at second base than at short. It’s unclear whether clubs around the league will consider him a proper shortstop or more of a second baseman that could play there in a pinch. The offense has been uneven but he’s always had good numbers with the platoon advantage, even in his poor 2023 campaign. The righty hitter slashed .282/.326/.442 against southpaws last year for a 112 wRC+.
  • Gio Urshela: Going back to his 2019 breakout with the Yankees, Urshela has hit .291/.335/.452 for a wRC+ of 115. He’s also considered a strong defender at third base but has only had brief glimpses at short. While he’s had over 4,600 innings at the hot corner, he’s tallied just 359 at the six hole. His numbers there haven’t been especially strong either. He’s also coming off a season that was ended by a pelvic fracture suffered in June. He may be the most reliable bat in this bunch but he’s probably not considered an everyday shortstop. Then again, the dearth of attractive options may tempt some club to give it a shot.
  • Elvis Andrus: The ceiling may not be too exciting with Andrus, but he has more reliability than the names ahead of him on this list. He played 112 games for the White Sox last year, missing a few weeks due to an oblique strain but otherwise staying healthy. He’s only had one full season in his career where he didn’t top that mark, getting to just 97 games in 2018. His .251/.304/.358 batting line translated to a wRC+ of just 81, not far below his career production, but he stole 12 bases and was still considered good in the field. His 1.1 fWAR on the year was easily the highest of anyone else in this post and he’s never been lower than that in a full season. Due to the aforementioned players dealing with rough years and injuries, none of these other guys even got to 0.5 fWAR.
  • Adalberto Mondesí: The flip side to Andrus, Mondesí is not reliable at all but comes with a more enticing ceiling. Health has been a constant issue with him, as his 2019 season was the only time he got into more than 75 games, suiting up for 102 contests that year. Most recently, he suffered a torn ACL in April of 2022 and hasn’t appeared in a game since. But he had a strong run with the Royals from 2018 to 2021 when he was able to take the field. He hit 35 home runs in 1,103 plate appearances, though a 4.3% walk rate kept his on-base percentage low. His .261/.293/.445 batting line translated to a wRC+ of 92 but he paired that with strong defense and 114 stolen bases in 271 games. He produced 7.4 fWAR in that time, not even two full seasons’ worth of contests. The health issues will give clubs plenty of pause but he’s still just 28 years old and is almost two years removed from his ACL surgery at this point.

Honorable mentions: Brandon Crawford, Nick Ahmed, Yu Chang

21 Players Elect Free Agency

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With the offseason quickly approaching, a number of players elect minor league free agency on a regular basis. Separate from MLB free agents, who reach free agency five days after the World Series by accumulating six years of service time in the big leagues, eligible minor league players can begin electing free agency as soon as the regular season comes to a close. Each of these players were outrighted off of their organization’s 40-man roster at some point during the season and either have been outrighted previously in their career or have the service time necessary to reach free agency since they were not added back to their former club’s rosters. For these players, reaching free agency is the expected outcome, and there will surely be more in the coming weeks. Here at MLBTR, we’ll provide occasional updates as players continue to elect minor league free agency.

Here is the next batch, courtesy of the transaction tracker at MiLB.com:

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Pitchers

Yu Chang Accepts Outright Assignment

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Red Sox infielder Yu Chang went unclaimed on outright waivers after being designated for assignment on Tuesday, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive. According to Cotillo, Chang has decided to accept the assignment and report to Triple-A Worcester.

The righty-hitting infielder could’ve elected free agency, since he has more than three years of MLB service. Players with less than five years of service time would forfeit their guaranteed salary in rejecting an outright, however. Chang is guaranteed $850K on the offseason pact he inked with Boston. With roughly $238K still to be paid out, the 27-year-old will head to Triple-A.

Chang was pushed into regular shortstop duty early in the season thanks to Trevor Story’s elbow injury. Chang played well defensively but was in a massive slump at the plate for a few weeks. His regular run was cut short when he broke the hamate bone in his left wrist on a swing, costing him around two and a half months.

Boston reinstated Chang from the injured list in early July. His offensive struggles continued, as he managed only a .180/.219/.361 line through 65 trips to the dish. Story’s return this week pushed Chang off the roster entirely.

Over parts of five big league campaigns, the Taiwan native is a .204/.265/.359 hitter. Public defensive metrics have rated him highly throughout the infield, but Chang has never found a consistent footing at the plate. He owns a .260/.333/.426 mark over five Triple-A seasons. Chang joins Christian Arroyo — himself outrighted off the roster just last weekend — David Hamilton and Enmanuel Valdez among the middle infielders in Worcester. If the Sox don’t re-select his contract before season’s end, Chang would reach minor league free agency in the fall.

Red Sox Designate Yu Chang For Assignment, Activate Trevor Story

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The Red Sox have designated infielder Yu Chang for assignment, with manager Alex Cora confirming the move to reporters (including Chris Cotillo of MassLive). His roster spot will go to Trevor Story, who has now been activated from the 60-day injured list.

Story underwent elbow surgery in January, an internal brace procedure that was clearly going to put him out of action for a long time. The club didn’t put a specific timeline on it then, saying that Story could return late in the 2023 campaign, though chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said at the time it was “not something at this stage we want to bank on.”

The Sox have been spinning plates at the shortstop position even since that news, with Chang, Enrique Hernández, Pablo Reyes, David Hamilton, Christian Arroyo, Bobby Dalbec and Enmanuel Valdéz all having seen some time there, while Adalberto Mondesí was acquired in the offseason but has spent all year on the IL thus far. None of those players have proven to be a standout, with Hernández having since been traded to the Dodgers, Arroyo outrighted off the roster, while Hamilton, Dalbec and Valdéz are in the minors on optional assignment.

In the case of Chang, he got some fairly regular playing time early on but suffered a fractured hamate in late April and didn’t return until early July. In 39 games around that IL stint, he’s hit just .162/.200/.352 this year. He’s played all four infield positions and has been graded well at each of them but the offense is clearly lacking. He’s out of options and so the club had little choice but to remove him from the roster.

That’s generally been the narrative around Chang in his career, as he is capable of providing strong defense at various positions but hasn’t found a way to contribute much with the bat. His career batting line is now .204/.265/.359 through 650 plate appearances.

Despite that tepid offensive performance and his out-of-options status, he’s generally drawn interest from clubs around the league. Last year, he bounced from the Guardians to the Pirates, Rays and Red Sox but didn’t carve out a lasting role with any of the four. With the trade deadline now behind us, the Sox will have to put Chang on waivers, either the outright or the release variety. It’s possible that he garners interest yet again, perhaps on a club outside contention that can give him regular playing time to try to get into a groove. He can be retained via arbitration for two seasons beyond this one.

Story will now step back onto the roster, though Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reported yesterday that he will play every other day for now, as he continues ramping back up to regular action. With Chang now off the roster, Reyes will likely share some of the shortstop duties as Story continues to build up to a full-time role.

Red Sox Designate Ryan Sherriff For Assignment

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The Red Sox announced a number of moves before tonight’s series opener with Oakland. Infielder Yu Chang is back from the 60-day injured list and starter James Paxton returned from paternity leave. In corresponding moves, infielder David Hamilton was optioned while reliever Kaleb Ort was placed on the 15-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation. Boston designated reliever Ryan Sherriff for assignment to create a 40-man roster spot for Chang’s return.

Chang has been down since late April after fracturing the hamate bone in his wrist. He’s expected to assume the primary shortstop role now that he’s healthy, at least until Trevor Story is able to return from the internal brace procedure on his elbow. Chang steps back into the starting lineup tonight, hitting ninth against A’s southpaw Sam Long.

Boston has used a revolving door at shortstop in Story’s absence. They haven’t found any kind of consistency. Boston shortstops have hit .214/.284/.328 on the season. They’re 25th in on-base percentage and 28th in slugging. Chang contributed to those offensive struggles, hitting only .136/.174/.341 through 47 trips to the plate. He has a modest offensive track record at the big league level, but the Sox will hope he can at least stabilize things defensively.

Hamilton had picked up 10 starts at the position since receiving his first big league call a few weeks ago. The 25-year-old infielder hit .138/.265/.207 to begin his career. He’ll head back to Triple-A Worcester, while Chang’s return pushes Sherriff off the roster entirely.

Boston signed Sherriff to an offseason minor league contract and selected his contract two months ago. The left-hander made five big league appearances, allowing two runs in 6 2/3 innings. He’s now up to 51 MLB frames over parts of five seasons, putting together a 3.53 ERA despite a middling 18.5% strikeout rate.

Sherriff has had a decent season in Worcester, allowing 2.82 earned runs per nine while fanning just under 26% of opposing hitters. He’d unfortunately been on the minor league injured list since late June and was reinstated yesterday. The Sox will have a week to trade him or put him on waivers.

Red Sox Have Multiple Infield Decisions Looming

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The Red Sox are planning to reinstate Yu Chang from the injured list and install him as their starting shortstop within the next couple of days, but that’s only the first of several decisions regarding their infield mix. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com outlines the situation neatly, noting that there are ostensibly three roster spots for four infielders: Chang, Christian Arroyo, Enrique Hernandez and Pablo Reyes.

Like Chang, Reyes is expected to be activated from the injured list before long. Based on overall track record — he’s a career .250/.312/.361 hitter — the 29-year-old would seem to be the odd man out. Reyes is hitting .303/.338/.364 so far this season, however, and while it’s only come in a sample of 72 plate appearances, that’s still better output than the rest of the group. Arroyo is batting .243/.278/.375 in 163 plate appearances, while Hernandez has struggled immensely this year with a .225/.282/.333 slash in 291 plate appearances. Each of Arroyo, Chang and Reyes is out of minor league options, while Hernandez cannot be optioned by virtue of his Major League service time.

Further muddying the infield mix, manager Alex Cora told the team’s beat last night that Justin Turner could begin mixing in at second base soon (Twitter link via Ian Browne of MLB.com). The 38-year-old has just nine innings at second base since 2015, eight of which came earlier this season. He hasn’t started a game at second in eight years, but he’s been one of Boston’s best hitters (.282/.354/.461), and Cora voiced a desire to maximize the offensive potential for a club that has averaged fewer than two runs per game during a 5-8 slump over the past 13 games. It seems unlikely that the Red Sox would install Turner at second base on a full-time basis, given his age and lack of recent experience there, but even occasional reps at the position will cut into opportunities for Arroyo, Hernandez and others.

Looming further in the distance is the return of shortstop Trevor Story, who could begin a minor league rehab assignment following the All-Star break, per Cora (Twitter link via Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald). While Story has previously spoken about the possibility of returning as a DH in July before moving to shortstop in August, it seems that won’t happen. Cora indicated that when Story returns, it’ll be as a shortstop. That’s still a ways down the road, but it’d likely push Chang either into a utility role or, depending on the outcome of the upcoming roster decisions, perhaps into a more frequent role at second base.

Health and performance leading up to the returns of Chang, Reyes and Story can certainly impact the eventual roster management, but even independent of the Aug. 1 trade deadline, the Red Sox will have a handful of roster decisions to make in the relatively near future.

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