The White Sox have called up second baseman Nick Madrigal, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). His promotion had been anticipated but was not yet confirmed to be imminent.
Reliever Kelvin Herrera was designated for assignment to create 40-man and active roster space. He was in the second season of a two-year, $17MM deal.
Madrigal, the fourth overall pick in the 2018 draft, will not have a chance to accrue a full season of MLB service. He will, however, be on track to ultimately qualify for arbitration after the 2022 season as a Super Two player.
It’ll certainly be fun to watch the 23-year-old in the majors. He has quite an unusual skillset, with negligible power but otherworldly contact ability and plate discipline.
A consensus top-50 prospect leaguewide, Madrigal have to keep hitting and walking at a tremendous rate to be an above-average MLB hitter. Last year, over the three highest levels of the minors, he logged 532 plate appearances of .311/.377/.414 hitting. Though he managed only four home runs, Madrigal amazingly struck out only 16 times while drawing 44 walks.
As exciting as it is for the Sox to welcome Madrigal, bidding adieu to Herrera represents an acknowledgement of a disappointment. The 30-year-old signed his contract after recovering from a major foot procedure but just hasn’t returned to form.
As MLBTR’s Connor Byrne examined in depth recently, the once-excellent reliever has struggled mightily in Chicago. He limped to a 6.14 ERA in 51 1/3 innings in 2019 and was shelled for four earned runs over his first two outings in 2020. Worst still, his typically upper-nineties fastball velocity has drooped to about 94 mph thus far this season.
With the decision, the White Sox will owe Herrera the remainder of the pro-rated portion of his $8.5MM salary this year. They’ll also still have to pay him a $1MM buyout on a 2020 vesting/club option.
Hallelujah!
Yep Madrigal should help big time. That starting staff needs all the help they can get.
Oh wait, Madrigal isn’t a starting pitcher!!! My bad. So how is Madrigal gonna help the area our boys need help with, the most? Their #3-5 starters are absolutely horrible.
@Dogbone
“Their #3-5 starters are absolutely horrible.”
LOL, based off one game each this year, with little training before the season started. Good thing you didn’t wait for a bigger sample size.
Ohh dogbone, you try too hard, go back to the Cubs threads.
He has a weird hate-stalking relationship with anything relating to the White Sox.
Dogbonr, you need to calm down. Before long we’ll have our rotation filled with young guys like Dane Dunning and maybe Jonathan Stiever.
2nd base defense just went up.
And their 2nd base offense likely will be on the Ronald Torreyes level.
Sadly that’s up…
@Dogbone
It’s a shame Madrigal is penciled in as the sole power threat of the lineup. If only those punch-and-judy hitters like Eloy, Robert, Abreu, Grandal, EE, Yoan, Mazara, and TA could scrape more than 2 HRs each this season…nah, that will never happen.
Stop feeding the troll.
@nrd1138
I know. I have to stop. I’ve been pretty good with my posts for quite a while now. I don’t need to get blocked from posting on here because I take the bait from Dogbone, even though he makes it so easy to make him look foolish. Again, it’s like taking candy from a baby.
Moderators, I apologize for my several moments of weakness today. I will try my best to not take the bait, as tempting as the trolls make the bait. Actually, I am serious about this, even if it doesn’t sound serious.
and they DFA’d Herrera.
Double good news!
It begins. If Mazara is back as well, that 1-9 has almost no weakness except for strikeout rate
Which of course Madrigal should help considerably since he was the toughest hitter to strike out at any level of pro baseball last season.
only because La Tortuga wasnt healthy
the tortoise? lol
Anything is better than Delmonico.
Well… that’s good.
so that Herrera move was…um, a mess
@DarkSide830
To say the least. Not complaining at all about him getting DFA’d.
Angels bullpen is a DISASTER. Maybe new scenery can work for Herrera. We’ve some how given back 3 games already!
Welcome to the Marlins, Phillies, or Cardinals Mr. Herrera
the Phillies weren’t willing to pay Liriano $1 million, they arent going to pay Herrera’s price tag.
He’ll clear waivers and be had for the minimum.
My favorite thing about this season so far is getting to see some young players we may not have otherwise seen in 2020. Singer and Bubic from KC, Madrigal in Chicago, Varsho in AZ, Pearson in Toronto, etc.
Covid will probably force some more as well. Gotta expect to see Adell, Gore and maybe even Franco soon.
Zero chance Tampa Bay starts Franco’s service time this year.
What difference does service time make? The way Manfred is running the game, MLB might not be around in 6 years anyway.
Nick Madrigal was a lock to be the White Sox starting 2B in 2020 regardless of the pandemic. It was just a matter of how soon he was promoted which mostly had to do with the organization gaining an extra year of MLB service time before he could become a potential free agent.
The White Sox wound up promoting Madrigal at the earliest possible moment (6 games in) which will still allow him to become arbitration eligible quicker as a Super Two player. The front office m.o. has been to sign all of their top young players/prospects to contract extensions well before arbitration and I suspect Madrigal will be no different.
mmmmmm. Pearson was up Wednesday. Madrigal didn’t have to wait til today.
@cysoxsale
Guessing after the Kris Bryant fiasco, Hahn didn’t want to make it look too obvious. But I suppose you have a point.
I heard 6 games. Perhaps it was 6 days into the season which began last Thursday in MLB for 4 teams and Friday for the rest of them. In any event, Nate Pearson was pre-scheduled to start the Wednesday game versus the Nationals which was game #6 for the Blue Jays. Nick Madrigal is a position player and wasn’t on the White Sox traveling roster when their 8-game road trip was scheduled to begin in Cleveland this past Monday. The team had an off day Thursday before heading to Kansas City for tonight’s weekend series against the Royals.
Most people including yours truly thought the White Sox would wait until they returned home next Wednesday before promoting Madrigal who was training at the team’s alternate site in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg. It had also been the organization’s m.o. to debut their rookies at home but they made the exception with Madrigal in this abbreviated season. It’s possible they chose tonight because of their opponent and/or the fact that Madrigal had some PA’s versus the KC starting pitcher when both played in the Pac-12. Royals SP Kris Bubic was also having his MLB debut tonight after making the jump from A-ball in 2019. It’s possible and even likely that Madrigal is the only player on the White Sox current 30-man roster who has ever faced Bubic before.
All those relievers KC ran into the ground a few years ago fell off hard, Greg Holland, Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis, etc. But, they all cashed in off their KC success so God bless them.
You don’t have to hit 20 homers to be an above average player in my book. Look at david fletcher or altuve before he started cheating. Low home runs, speed, high average and defense. That’s an old school lead off hitter
I’ve seen research that shows Altuve didn’t use the trash can much if at all
Red Sox 5’9″ 2B Dustin Pedroia might be an even better comp for Madrigal. Pedroia was a well regarded prospect who didn’t hit for much power in college, in the minors or early on in his MLB career. Madrigal may or may not see a similar power increase but he does come with a better pure hit tool and fielding grades at a similar stage. I also believe Madrigal will steal more bases than Pedroia did and hopefully have better health during his career.
Ironically, both Pedroia and Madrigal come from the same neck of the woods. Pedroia was born and raised in Woodland, Ca. which is 19 miles NW of Sacramento. Madrigal was born and raised in Elk Grove, Ca., 16 miles SE of Sacramento.
Both were accomplished college infielders in the Pac-12, Pedroia at ASU and Madrigal at OSU. Pedroia stuck at SS with former ASU teammate Ian Kinsler manning 2B. Madrigal started at SS but switched to 2B to accommodate teammate Cadyn Grenier at SS. Grenier is currently a top-30 Oriole prospect who has continued to excel with his glove but has struggled mightily with his bat in the Orioles system.
Nick MADRIGAL is quite the SINGER !!
Let’s see if Kris can make a Bubic out of Nick Madrigal during their MLB Debut tonight.
Eppler in California will be all over Herrera. Probably pay him $10 million a year for 2 and then cut him. He is a “ Genius”.
No, that would be Eppler’s new manager. lol
@mdunkel
That’s pretty much what the Sox did, except well north of $10MM.
Oops, I read that wrong. Take out the part “except well north of $10MM”.
It’s funny all the guys that the Red Sox should have signed two offseasons ago.. and everybody lambasted Boston for passing up these relievers and these high contracts. I don’t think a single one of them has worked out? Of those guys that were available and changed teams? Many got hurt. Hindsight of course, but I think when the Red Sox went for their repeat championship run and had a shaky bullpen, any of these guys wouldn’t have helped.
Herrera seems ideal for the Mets bullpen.
Can’t wait to see this kid play!
Madrigal should tighten up defense, hopefully he continues to hit for average as he has no power and doesn’t walk much.
Herrera — not surprised as he’s been getting smoked since mid last year. Good moves now we need Mazara.
Go Beavers!
There’s a lot of beaver fans on this website
Mets should put in a claim on Herrera
I’m surprised by both parts of this news.
Madrigal: Not surprised they brought him up, but I thought they would wait a little longer not to look so obvious about it. Not that I’m complaining that they did it today, because I love this move. Of course, his Spring/Summer Training wasn’t very impressive, so they can justify that way if it came to that, which I imagine it won’t.
Herrera: I guess they wanted to make sure Herrera didn’t have his option vest. Not that I’m complaining about this either, because he was brutal. With what he was making, I thought they would give him a little more rope, though with the adjusted salary, it must’ve been low enough to just eat what they owe him. Suddenly Hahn has a quick hook, first with Fulmer, now Herrera.
Quick hook on Fulmer. Hardly.
When you pitch continually as bad as Fulmer did, it isn’t quick. Hahn got exactly what they wanted out of Fulmer – he lost games for them. Allowed them high draft choices. Fulmer was brutal, and a bad pick from the get go.
@Dogbone
That’s certainly a sound strategy drafting with the 8th pick, pick a SP to lose a bunch of games for you. Your grasp on the game is hilarious.
So, very soon, the Sox lineup should look like this for the majority of the short season (assuming no injuries):
1. TA
2. Yoan
3. Abreu
4. EE
5. Grandal
6. Eloy
7. Robert
8. Mazara
9. Madrigal
Obviously it changes a bit when McCann gets put into the lineup.
I’m liking this lineup a lot. But, no matter how good the lineup is, this team will go where the starting rotation takes them. If Cease, Rodon, and Lopez (if he comes back this season) can figure it out this season, and more importantly 2021 and beyond, then this team will be ready to be a serious contender. It probably won’t be this season, but if Cease, Lopez, and/or Rodon (or someone else like Dunning or Lambert) looks much better by the end of the season, things will look very encouraging next Spring, even before any more additions take place this Winter.
The bullpen seems fine, and got even better with the ousting of Herrera.
So now YOUR giving up after 6 games. But got on my case, earlier. Lol.
So now I’m giving up because I don’t think they’re a serious contender yet? LOL Wow.
Yet I know you would say I was on serious drugs if I said this team has a great chance of winning the WS this year.
You are making this too easy for me. It’s like taking candy from a baby. I know, I shouldn’t have taken the bait today, but when Dogbone is lobbing softballs to me, it’s so hard to resist. I better stop before I get blocked from posting on here. After all, it’s not nice to take advantage of those with no common sense.
Now, can we please get rid of Danny Memdick and Nicky Delmonico?!? PLEASE!!!!
Manipulating Rick didn’t even try to hide it this time.
Hope Madrigal does well. Can’t do much worse than Herrera, another waste of money by Hahn.
It will be like having Nellie Fox back at 2nd base.