Former Boston Red Sox Infielder Yu Chang Stars at World Baseball Classic Qualifiers

Yu Chang, a few years removed from his time with the Cleveland Guardians, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox, hit a home run in Chinese Taipei's loss to Spain on Friday.

Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Yu Chang (12) hits an RBI during the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park. / Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

The 2026 World Baseball Classic is still a full year away, but the competition has already begun.

While 16 teams have already been penciled into the field, four bids are still up for grabs. Chinese Taipei, Spain, Nicaragua and South Africa are battling for two of the remaining spots in Taiwan starting this week, while Colombia, Germany, China and Brazil will face off in Tucson, Arizona, in March.

Nicaragua snuck by South Africa in extra innings to open the Taipei World Baseball Classic Qualifiers on Thursday, setting the stage for the host country to take on Spain on Friday.

Spain took an early 4-0 lead over Chinese Taipei, but the Taipei Dome got sent into a frenzy when Yu Chang delivered a two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning.

The legend of Yu Chang continues! #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/pXS7lYqigr

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) February 21, 2025

Chang is one of the more notable players on Chinese Taipei's roster, having spent five seasons in MLB with the Cleveland Guardians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox. He last saw big league action in 2023, posting a 0.1 WAR across 39 games with the Red Sox.

The 29-year-old split time between all four infield positions when he was playing in the States.

Chang spent the first half of 2024 on a minor league deal with the Rays before opting out and joining the Fubon Guardians of the Chinese Professional Baseball League. He had been batting .293 with a .944 OPS in Triple-A before batting .270 with a .985 OPS in the CPBL.

Chinese Taipei went on to lose 12-5 Friday, as Chang finished the contest 1-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts. The result was a shock to the No. 2 team in the WBSC rankings and their home crowd, considering they took home the gold at the Premier12 tournament in November.

During the last World Baseball Classic in 2023, Chang was named MVP of Pool A in the group stages, ulimately making the All-World Baseball Classic team. He hit .438 with two home runs, 8 RBIs and a 1.438 OPS across four games in that tournament.

Chinese Taipei will get a chance to redeem itself against South Africa on Saturday. The country has appeared in all five previous renditions of the World Baseball Classic, reaching the quarterfinals once back in 2013.

Related MLB Stories

• YANKEES EASE FACIAL HAIR POLICY: While players still won't be allowed to sport long hair, the Yankees did at least amend their 50-year-old policy banning beards. CLICK HERE

• MARLINS CLAIM MARTINEZ: Reliever Seth Martinez got dumped by the Astros after a few up-and-down seasons in Houston, but he has found a new home in Miami. CLICK HERE

• ALONSO AVOIDS INJURY: Mets first baseman Pete Alonso got hit in the base by a ball at spring training on Thursday, but he returned to the field to finish out practice. CLICK HERE

Follow Fastball On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.