Pirates Prospect Realizes MLB Dream
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates recently brought up one of their top prospects, allowing them to acheive their dream of making it to the MLB.
The Pirates called-up infielder Tsung-Che Cheng from Triple-A Indianapolis, as they placed infielder Jared Triolo on the 10-day Injured List with a lumbar spine strain.
Cheng is the No. 17 prospect in the Pirates system, according to MLB Pipeline, but his journey to the majors has taken quite some time.
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 get to play in 2020, due to the MiLB cancelling the minor league season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but eventually got back to it in 2021 with the Florida Complex League (FCL) Pirates.
Cheng then moved his way up and played most of last season with the Altoona Curve at Double-A.
He only had 11 games with Indianapolis, playing there towards the end of 2024 and the first few games this season, but the Pirates needed an infielder and Cheng, who is on the 40-man roster, filled the role.
Cheng participated in both batting practice and fielded at shortstop prior to the series opener vs. the St. Louis Cardinals on April 7, which served as a lifetime achievement for him.
“It’s very beautiful and I'm proud of himself," Cheng said through his interpreter, Haagen Tan. I never imagined that one day I could do batting practice at such a beautiful stadium.”
Cheng had other things on his mind the day he got called up, as he was celebrating his wife's, Irene, birthday. He even made her a homemade chocolate cake, but receiving that call-up from Indianapolis manager Chris Truby served as an even better present.
“Yes, it was actually her birthday yesterday," Cheng said. "So it feels like it’s kind of the best birthday gift for her.”
Cheng feels most comfortable at shortstop, but also at second base, which is what Pirates bench coach Don Kelly sees him at while he's at the MLB level.
He will help the Pirates fill the holes of Triolo and also of second baseman Nick Gonzales, who is on the Injured List with a non-displaced fracture of the left ankle.
The Pirates also haven't had first baseman Spencer Horwitz, who has dealt with a right wrist injury, which has kept him out prior to Spring Training, and Nick Yorke, who is out with a right shoulder injury.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton praised Cheng's fielding and that they want him as a backup at shortstop going forward.
“Just defensively, how dynamic he is," Shelton said of Cheng. “I think we saw the full scope of it in Spring Training,” Shelton said. “Regardless if he played second or short, he can really defend. He’s played some third, a little bit in the Minor Leagues. With losing Triolo, we needed someone who could play short as the backup. We felt he fit us the best.”
Cheng, while excited for the future, is focused on the task at hand, which will require him to prove that he belongs at the MLB level going forward.
“For now I just wants to enjoy baseball, enjoy playing baseball and try to keep improving every day, every single day,” Cheng said.
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.