The 2023 Major League Baseball season looks as though it will be a stop-and-start campaign for Boston Red Sox infielder Yu Chang.
Chang is headed to the shelf as he was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday due to a left hamate fracture, the team announced. The 27-year-old suffered the injury during a seventh-inning at-bat in Monday night's loss to the Baltimore Orioles, leaving the game with what Red Sox manager Alex Cora hoped was anything but what it ended up being.
It has been an up-and-down year for Chang, who wowed his way into becoming Pool A MVP in the World Baseball Classic before eventually seeing visa issues delay his return to the United States from the tournament. That cut into his time in spring training, which eventually led to a shaky start to the season.
Things did start to click for Chang, however. The utility fielder, in extended time as Boston's primary shortstop over the last two weeks, hit three home runs and had eight RBIs over the course of 43 plate appearances in his final ten games before hitting the IL, all in addition to stellar defense at short.
Enmanuel Valdez will take Chang's spot on the active roster, marking his second call up in as many weeks. The 24-year-old made his MLB debut on April 19 against the Minnesota Twins, starting at second base and hitting a pair of singles. He impressed in his short stint with the Red Sox, taking over for Chang while he hit the paternity list.
Valdez, who was acquired in a trade for Christian Vázquez and is ranked as a top Red Sox prospect by both MLB.com (No. 17) and Baseball America (No. 19), primarily plays second base. That likely calls for a move to shortstop by either Kiké Hernández or Christian Arroyo on days that Valdez is in the lineup.
The Red Sox will have their next opportunity to get a look at Valdez on Tuesday, as they look to even their series with the Orioles at Camden Yards. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. ET, following an hour of pregame coverage on NESN.
