Tampa Bay Rays Sign Former Boston Red Sox Infielder Yu Chang to Minor League Deal
The Tampa Bay Rays have signed infielder Yu Chang to a minor league deal, the team announced Tuesday.
Chang's contract includes an invitation to the Rays' major league Spring Training camp.
The 28-year-old spent 2023 with the Boston Red Sox, batting .162 with six home runs, 18 RBI, a .552 OPS and a 0.1 WAR in 39 games. Boston acquired Chang off waivers from Tampa Bay in September 2022.
Chang appeared in 36 games for the Rays in 2022, which was a whirlwind campaign for the Taiwanese utility man. He opened the year with the Cleveland Guardians, but found himself suiting up for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Rays and Red Sox by the time the season was over.
Before that string of transactions, Chang was with the Guardians from 2019 to 2022.
In 235 career MLB games, Chang is a .204 hitter with 20 home runs, 79 RBI, a .624 OPS and a 0.5 WAR. He has logged roughly the same number of innings at shortstop, second base, third base and first base at the big league level, but he almost exclusively played shortstop with Boston last season.
Tampa Bay entered the offseason needing infield depth, considering Wander Franco's legal troubles in the Dominican Republic and Taylor Walls' hip surgery in October. Top prospects Osleivis Basabe and Junior Caminero are likely the future of the Rays' infield, but Chang and José Caballero – who they acquired in a trade with the Seattle Mariners in January – could help bridge the gap before they fully ascend.
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