The Tampa Bay Rays on Friday designated Yu Chang for assignment after they were left without room for the Taiwanese infielder with the return of Wander Franco.
Franco was activated from the 10-day injured list after missing two months with a right hamate bone injury that required surgery.
The 21-year-old batted second in their series opener against the American League East-leading New York Yankees, which they won 4-2, and he doubled to the right-center-field gap on his first pitch.
Photo: AFP
“We’re excited to get him back here. He’s such a big part of our club,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of Franco. “He makes us better in the lineup. He makes us better defensively, and we’ll just see how it goes.”
Teammate Brandon Lowe said he was happy to have Franco back.
“Feels like as full of a team as we can have right now,” Lowe said.
Franco in November last year agreed to a US$182 million, 11-year contract after he finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting.
He entered Friday’s game batting .260 with five homers and 23 RBIs in 58 games.
Second-placed Tampa Bay designated infielder Chang for assignment and optioned right-hander Yonny Chirinos to Triple-A Durham.
Chirinos is to remain with the big-league club as a member of the taxi squad.
Cash gave credit to Chang, who faces few days of uncertainty before a decision is made about where he will go.
“He has been everything that we could have asked for,” Cash said of Chang. “I feel like he’s made every play defensively. He’s come up with some big hits.”
Chang on Tuesday claimed his 100th major-league hit and followed it up with a home run in the Rays’ victory over the Boston Red Sox.
Chang, who learned of the Rays’ decision before Friday’s game, told the Central News Agency that he hoped to stay in the in the majors.
As he has exhausted his delegation options, he was designated for assignment, meaning he might be released, traded or sent to the minor leagues.
Designated for assignment means a player is immediately removed from the 40-man reserve list, giving a team time to decide what to do with the player while freeing up a roster spot.
The Rays had seven days to make a decision on Chang.
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