Chang hasn’t played, still likely to make team

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Spring training ends Tuesday and infielder Yu Chang has yet to play a game for the Red Sox. But he remains likely to make the roster for Opening Day.

His is an unusual case.

Chang played for the Guardians, Pirates, and Rays last season before the Sox claimed him off waivers on Sept. 12. Chang appeared in 11 games and was released in November. The Sox then signed him to a major league contract on Feb. 16.

Chang at that point was preparing to play for Taiwan in the World Baseball Classic and remained with that team. He was 7 of 16 with two homers and eight RBIs over four games and was named MVP of Pool A.

“I enjoyed the whole tournament,” Chang said via translator Mickey Chang, one of the minor league coaches. “I felt good in the box.”

Taiwan was eliminated on March 11, but Chang did not arrive at Fenway South until Friday because of a visa issue. In the interim, Chang worked out with his high school team in Taichung and with his personal trainer.

“I felt nervous waiting for a visa to come back to me,” Chang said. “There aren’t too many games, but I’ll be ready to go.”

Chang is likely to be in the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Twins at JetBlue Park.

“The idea is to get him as many at-bats as possible,” manager Alex Cora said.

Chang has experience at all four infield positions over his four seasons in the majors but has hit only .213 over 196 games. The Sox feel he can be a helpful player off the bench.

The alternative would be Bobby Dalbec, a first baseman who has played more innings at third base and shortstop in camp.

“The Red Sox stayed in touch with me,” Chang said. “I felt like they showed interest so I decided to come back.”

Jansen recovering: Kenley Jansen was back in the clubhouse and “feeling a little bit better” after leaving Friday night’s game because of dizziness.

“I was just out of it. It’s not smart to keep pitching in spring training games when you’re kind of blacking out,” he said before returning home to rest.

Cora said the plan is for Jansen to pitch on Sunday, which seems optimistic.

Jansen had issues with atrial fibrillation in 2011, 2012, 2018, and 2022. He had ablation procedures to address the issue following the ‘12 and ‘18 seasons.

This latest incident, Jansen said, was not related to his heart. He speculated it might have been dehydration on a hot night or some type of illness.

“There’s no concerns about the other stuff that happened in the past,” Cora said.

Whitlock making progress: Garrett Whitlock pitched 3 ⅓ innings and threw 63 pitches to Connor Wong in a Double A game at Fenway South. He allowed three runs on four hits and struck out three with one walk.