Post-Bo Bichette NY Mets waiver claim fills 40-man roster with a .218 hitter in AAA

Just when you think you have David Stearns nailed down, he goes out and does something wild like sign Bo Bichette. The New York Mets look different from what anyone predicted. Run prevention has not been the lone promise of what they aimed to accomplish.

Along with those splashy moves, the Mets have continued to make smaller ones. After Bichette, the Mets added a lifetime .218 hitter in Triple-A. Tsung-Che Cheng was a Tampa Bay Rays waiver claim earlier in the month from the Pittsburgh Pirates. After landing back on waivers again, it’s the Mets who’ll add him to their organization in hopes of…well…maybe never seeing him in the majors?

Tsung-Che Cheng is the latest depth addition to the Mets who could be gone before he settles in

The waiver claim puts the Mets’ 40-man roster at full capacity once the Bichette deal is official. Nobody’s first choice, it’s some pre-work for the Mets as they possibly look to make a trade involving their crowded infield.

That’s not to say Cheng is going to replace one of the MLB infielders they dispose of. He’s merely here for depth and maybe not for an entirely long time. We’ve seen David Stearns make moves like this before. Luis De Los Santos is probably the best example from last year. A versatile defender who hadn’t hit all that great in the minors was added only to later get DFA’d. He stayed with Syracuse for the full year, batting .242 and playing multiple infield positions.

Cheng has played mostly shortstop with experience at second base and third base, too. It’s going to take a complete collapse for him to see MLB daylight.

One thing he has done well is steal bases. Although he hit .209/.309/.271 in Triple-A last year, it did come with 18 stolen bases. He was, however, caught 7 times.

If we see Cheng ever have a plate appearance for the Mets, expect a bunt. Twice in 5 minor league seasons he had 10+ sacrifice bunts. He gives off vibes of Travis Jankowski but an infield version.