Rays Yu Chang’s claim, Brandon Lowe moved to 60 days from IL

rays claim Yu Chang from pirates Tweets Mark Tobkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Pittsburgh named the player for the assignment last week. To make a place on the 40-player roster, Tampa Bay moved second baseman Brandon Lowe From 10 days to 60 days from the list of infected.

Zhang is heading into his third organization of the season. A longtime member of the Cleveland Ranch System, the right-handed hitter saw action with the MLB club every year between 2019-22. Despite his good odds ratios, Chang has never guaranteed regular playing time on a string of generally strong pitches, and he struggled when he found his name in the squad. The Taiwanese National hit only .208/.265/.372 with a high strike rate of 28.5% over 358 board appearances in Cleveland, bouncing both on and off the active roster during his first three years.

This dribbling all years has exhausted Chang’s options in the minor league, and the Guardians have been left to carry him into the Major League roster or take him off the 40-man squad this season. They kept him in the major leagues for two months, but eventually appointed him for appointment in late May. Pittsburgh acquired him for monetary considerations a few days later, but Chang continued to quarrel during his month in Steel City.

With 18 games as a pirate, Chang has made .135/.237/.212 with a strike rate of 42.4% (18 in 49 board appearances). The Bucs advanced quickly, and the Rays became the next team to take a low-risk shot to see if they could unlock some of the upside. Zhang Bin appeared on the American Baseball Team’s Top 30 in every season from 2015-21, drawing praise for his plate discipline, strength, and ability to play all over the field. When he reached the upper levels, Zhang showed an alarming tendency to sway and lose.

It is also possible that Chang’s stay in Tampa Bay was short. Since he has no options, he has to stick to the active menu or set it back to set. Rays have a fair amount of depth, with Franco’s walk Hiding in shortstop and hitting hot Isaac Paredes Bouncing between the second and third base. Yandy Diaz Handy as a corner option, while the former big potential customers Taylor Walls And the Vidal Brogan It can cover almost anywhere on dirt. Walls and Bruján have both struggled on the board this season and have options left, however, and Rays could decide to send any player back to Triple-A Durham once Chang reports to the squad.

The field mix will get deeper once Lowe is able to come back. The second base officer in Tampa Bay has been absent since May 16 while suffering from a pressure reaction in his lower back. Today’s 60-day transfer rules him out of that initial position, which means he’ll be eligible to return throughout the All-Star break.

Lowe applied to batting practice last week, but manager Kevin Cash indicated at the time that it was still a way to get back into MLB work (Topkin link). He’ll definitely need to get out on a minor league rehab job before returning to the top league squad, so the decision to move him to IL for 60 days isn’t surprising.