The Pirates are making roster moves-and they’re not small ones. Following a three-team trade that brought in Brandon Lowe, Mason Montgomery, and Jake Mangum, Pittsburgh needed to clear space on the 40-man roster. That meant designating outfielder Marco Luciano and infielder Tsung-Che Cheng for assignment.
Let’s start with Luciano. This is a name that used to carry serious weight in prospect circles.
Not long ago, he was a top-15 overall prospect in baseball, seen as a future cornerstone for the Giants thanks to his raw power and athletic frame. But the big leagues haven’t been kind to him so far.
After being claimed off waivers from San Francisco just a couple weeks ago, the Pirates took a low-risk chance on him-hoping a change of scenery might unlock some of that old upside. That experiment didn’t last long.
Luciano’s bat, once considered electric, hasn’t kept up with higher-level pitching. San Francisco gave him brief big league looks in 2023 and 2024, but in 126 plate appearances, he managed just a .217/.286/.304 slash line with 45 strikeouts. That’s a 35.7% strikeout rate-tough to overlook, even with the occasional flash of power.
In Triple-A this past season, he did show some of that pop again-23 home runs and a walk rate north of 15% certainly catch the eye. But the swing-and-miss issues were still front and center.
He struck out in nearly a third of his plate appearances and whiffed on over 35% of his swings. That kind of profile-big power, big strikeouts, and limited defensive value-makes it hard to find a consistent role, especially when a player is out of minor league options, as Luciano is now.
He’ll need to stick on a big league roster or risk riding the DFA carousel again.
As for Cheng, he’s another 24-year-old with some prospect pedigree, though not quite on Luciano’s level. Still, as recently as 2024, he was considered a top-10 prospect in the Pirates’ system. A left-handed hitter with defensive versatility and solid athleticism, Cheng made his MLB debut in April, but it was a brief and quiet stint-0-for-7 with three strikeouts and a caught stealing in his only attempt.
The rest of his 2025 season was spent at Triple-A Indianapolis, where the offensive struggles continued. In 406 plate appearances, he hit just .207 with a .305 on-base and a .267 slugging percentage, managing only one home run across the entire season. Since reaching Double-A in 2023, Cheng’s bat hasn’t quite kept pace with the pitching, even if the glove and instincts remain solid.
Unlike Luciano, Cheng does still have one minor league option remaining, which could make him a more appealing depth piece for another club looking to take a flier. The Pirates now have five days to either trade or place both players on waivers.
In the end, these moves are about making room for impact talent. Bringing in Brandon Lowe adds proven production to the infield, while Montgomery and Mangum offer depth and upside. But for Luciano and Cheng, it’s another reminder of how quickly the big league window can open-and close-in a game where potential is only part of the equation.