Pirates Promote Top Infield Prospect
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates will bring up one of their top propsects, giving them a chance to show their talents at the MLB level.
Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reported that the Pirates are calling up infielder Tsung Che-Cheng from Triple-A Indianapolis, while placing infielder Jared Triolo on the injured list, as he is dealing with lower back discomfort. Cheng also has a locker at the PNC Park clubhouse.
Sources: The Pirates are promoting infielder Tsung-Che Cheng to the Majors. He’s the team’s No. 17 prospect, per @MLBPipeline.
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) April 7, 2025
Jared Triolo will be placed on the injured list (low back)
Cheng hails from Pingtung County in Tawian and signed with the Pirates out of high school as an international free agent on July 27, 2019, for a signing bonus of $380,000.
He didn't play in the Pirates minor league system in either 2019 or 2020, as the MLB cancelled the minor league season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cheng would play the 2021 season with the Florida Complex League (FCL) Pirates, where he slashed .311/.449/.492 for an OPS of .941, with 38 hits in 122 at-bats, eight doubles, one triple, four home runs, 31 RBIs, 30 walks to 14 strikeouts and 16 stolen bases in 38 games.
He then played for the Single-A Bradenton Marauders in 2022, slashing .270/.376/,418 for an OPS of .718 in 104 games. He also had 104 hits, 25 doubles, seven triples, six home runs, 52 RBIs and 63 walks with 33 stolen bases.
Cheng would start 2023 with the Greensboro Grasshoppers at High-A and then earned promotion to the Altoona Curve in Double-A on June 23.
He played a combined 123 games that season, slashing .278/.352/.456 for an OPS of .808. He also had 128 hits, 23 doubles, 10 triples, 13 home runs, 56 RBIs, 52 walks and 26 stolen bases.
Cheng spent almost the entire 2024 season with Altoona, slashing .218/.320/.341 for an OPS of .661. He had 92 hits, 19 doubles, 11 home runs, 54 RBIs, 61 walks and 16 stolen bases in 126 games.
He earned promotion to Indianapolis on Sept. 17 and played six games there. He also played five games there this season, before earning his promotion to the Pirates.
The Pirates originally scheduled Triolo as their shortstop in the series finale vs. the New York Yankees on April 6, but scratched at the last minute.
Triolo has played in six games for the Pirates this season, starting five of them. He started two games each at first base and second base and also one at third base. Had he started at shortstop like he was supposed to, he would've started all positions in the infield for the Pirates in the first 10 games.
He has struggled immensely from the plate, with just one hit in 17 at-bats, batting .059, with one walk and five strikeouts.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.