The Boston Red Sox wasted no time digging into their offseason cleanup, and another move is now on the board. Infielder Tsung-Che Cheng has been traded to the Detroit Tigers for cash, according to Andrew Parker of SoxProspects.com.
"Another trade: Red Sox are trading IF Tsung-Che Cheng to the Tigers for cash, I’m told," Parker wrote on X. "Clears another 40-man roster spot."
That deal came after a busy Thursday that also saw Patrick Sandoval and Isiah Kiner-Falefa officially hit free agency. Boston also sent speedy fan favorite Nate Eaton to the Athletics in exchange for minor league pitching prospect Jareth Rayo. With Cheng gone too, the Red Sox have chipped away at the 40-man crunch they’re facing this winter.
And crunch is the right word. Boston has to get its 40-man roster down within five days of the World Series, and it entered the offseason needing to trim seven spots because of the number of players on the 60-day Injured List.
Sandoval and Kiner-Falefa cleared two of those. Eaton and Cheng took care of two more.
If Sonny Gray’s mutual option is declined - which is described as very, very likely - that would open another spot. That would leave Boston with two more to clear.
Cheng’s time in the majors with Boston was brief, but he did get a look in 2026. The 25-year-old appeared in 14 games between June and July, a stretch that lined up with the organization’s push to turn the season around. He hit .256/.318/.282 with a .600 OPS, along with five RBIs, one double and seven runs scored.
From a roster standpoint, the move fits cleanly. Boston’s middle infield still has some unresolved questions heading into 2027, but there are enough bodies in front of Cheng that his path was going to be crowded. Curtis Mead, Trevor Story, Nick Sogard, Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Seigler and even Franklin Arias all appear to have a clearer route than Cheng.
So the Red Sox have turned one more roster spot into breathing room by moving on from a player who probably wasn’t headed for much big league action in 2027 anyway. It’s a practical move, not a flashy one. And with more roster work still ahead, Boston is going to have to keep moving.
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Red Sox Make Another Quiet 40-Man Roster Move
The Red Sox cleared another bit of offseason roster space Sunday, sending infielder Tsung-Che Cheng to the Tigers for cash considerations. It is the kind of move that barely registers outside the front office, but it speaks to how Boston continues to sort through the edges of its 40-man roster while making room for the next wave of decisions.
Cheng spent one season in the organization after arriving in Boston, getting into 13 big league games while also logging time at Triple-A Worcester. His work there included eight home runs and a .241/.345/.390 line, enough to keep him in the mix as a depth infielder even as the Red Sox chose to move on and Detroit took a look at adding him to its own roster picture. [Read more 🡒]
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Red Sox Still Have Tough Roster Calls Coming Before Monday
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Even after those moves, there is still work to do, and the next round of cuts figures to be more complicated because it will involve players who may have some value, not just empty spots to free up. The Red Sox have a few more roster decisions queued up as they sort through who stays, who goes and who gets squeezed off the 40-man before Mondays deadline arrives. [Read more 🡒]