The Red Sox made a minor addition to the back of their roster on Friday, claiming infielder Tsung-Che Cheng off waivers from the Washington Nationals.
The move fills up Boston’s 40-man roster, which had a vacancy entering the day.
Cheng is a 24-year-old utility player who has appeared in three MLB games, all with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season. The Red Sox will become his fifth team this offseason after Cheng was designated for assignment by the Pirates, Rays, Mets and most recently the Nationals.
Besides his brief cameo in the majors, during which he went 0 for 7, Cheng batted .209 with a .578 OPS in 107 games at Triple-A last season. He was also just named to Chinese Taipei’s World Baseball Classic team and is one of three players on the roster currently on an MLB 40-man.
In addition to Cheng, the Red Sox are expected to add infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the roster in the near future. That deal has not yet been officially announced, though the Red Sox will have the ability to clear another roster spot for Kiner-Falefa next week when right-hander Tanner Houck becomes eligible to go on the 60-day injured list.