Chih-Chieh Cheng faces being DFA’d twice: admits his performance fell short of expectations and confesses to shedding many tears over the past two years.

Chih-Chieh Cheng, an infielder who has recently been DFA’d twice in the Major Leagues, candidly confronted this situation today at the start of training with Chinese Taipei for the Classic. He admitted, "There’s no excuse for being DFA’d; the fact is I simply didn’t perform well." He also shared that the fluctuations in his career over the past two years have caused him to "cry quite a bit."

Last April, Cheng became the 18th Taiwanese player ever to appear in the Major Leagues. However, during three games with the Pirates, he failed to record a hit in seven at-bats. At the end of last year, he was first designated for assignment by the Pirates, then picked up by the Tampa Bay Rays. Recently, the Rays had to DFA him again to clear space on their 40-man roster. Whether Cheng will continue to pursue a Major League career remains uncertain as he awaits further news.

When he first received the DFA notice, Cheng admitted feeling genuinely upset, saying, "That was my first team, and they really helped me grow a lot." He recalled how the Pirates not only helped him adjust to the language but also arranged for him to participate in winter league training. "Every coach and teammate I met at every level gave me wonderful experiences, and I really liked the people there," he reflected.

Regarding being DFA’d twice, Cheng explained that his sadness was more about "possibly leaving the team itself" rather than the DFA procedure. As for being picked up by the Rays and then released again, he expressed understanding because he was always on the edge of the 40-man roster, "always at risk of being removed." He has been working on maintaining his form during the offseason, hoping to regain his hitting touch.

When asked if he hopes to attract Major League teams’ attention through his performance in the Classic, Cheng responded calmly: "I don’t really believe teams will offer contracts based solely on a few games in the Classic; they probably place more importance on how I perform in spring training afterward." Regarding his return to the U.S., he said it is still undecided, "Every day I wake up, I might get new news, so I don’t know how things will unfold."