11:38am: The White Sox announced that they have indeed recalled Burger from Triple-A Charlotte. Chicago has also reinstated Adam Eaton from the injured list. In a pair of corresponding roster moves, they’ve optioned righty Zack Burdi and, most notably, designated hitter Yermin Mercedes.
The 28-year-old Mercedes was the talk of baseball when he started the season 8-for-8 and generally decimated big league pitching for the first six weeks of the season. Mercedes batted .368/.417/.571 through the season’s first 38 games, producing at a Herculean level even as hitters throughout the league struggled so extensively that MLB finally began to crack down on pitchers’ use of foreign substances.
In his next 31 games, however, Mercedes has seen his offensive production completely evaporate. The endpoint here, admittedly, is rather arbitrary, but Mercedes is hitting just .150/.220/.196 across his past 118 plate appearances. Understandably, the Sox have begun to cut back on his playing time, and he’s now Charlotte-bound, where the team will hope he can get a reset of sorts to round back into the form he displayed early in the 2021 campaign.
11:00am: The White Sox are calling up infield prospect Jake Burger for his big league debut today, tweets The Athletic’s James Fegan. Scott Merkin of MLB.com suggested last night (via Twitter) that Burger was likely to be with the club in Detroit this weekend, and the White Sox themselves have even tweeted a not-so-subtle indication that Burger is getting the call — though they’ve yet to make a formal announcement and reveal the corresponding roster moves.
It’s the culmination of a remarkable journey for the 2017 first-rounder, who has twice torn his Achilles tendon and endured grueling, months-long rehabilitations. Burger didn’t play in a single minor league game from 2018-19 (or in 2020, for obvious reasons). Making the jump from Class-A to Triple-A after a three-year layoff from competitive games is impressive in itself, but Burger has done far more than simply make that leap — he’s absolutely torn Triple-A pitching apart. In 185 plate appearances over 42 games, the former No. 11 overall pick has mashed at a .322/.368/.596 clip, swatting 10 homers, 15 doubles and a triple along the way.
Burger only recently turned 25, so despite the considerable injury hurdles he’s had to clear in his journey to this point, his age lines up nicely with the rest of an increasingly impressive core of young White Sox stars. He’s played primarily third base in the minor leagues, but the Sox began getting him some looks at second base when Nick Madrigal went down with a season-ending hamstring tear. For the time being, however, Burger could get a look at his primary position at the hot corner, as Yoan Moncada sustained a hand injury on a slide into third base yesterday.
Burger’s early performance could be pivotal for the White Sox. While they’re comfortably in command of the American League Central, they’ve still reportedly been discussing a trade centering around D-backs infielder Eduardo Escobar. While those talks have apparently slowed as other teams jump into the Escobar bidding, Burger’s performance could conceivably curb Chicago’s own interest.
If Burger storms out to a hot start and Moncada comes back healthy sooner than later, the Sox could just let Burger run with the second base role and forgo an infield upgrade entirely. Conversely, if Burger looks overmatched, the Sox might be more interested in pursuing a short-term upgrade at a clear position of need on a win-now club — be it Escobar or another trade candidate.
oldmansteve
Does this promotion come with a side of fries and a shake?
southsidebatman
No they already activated Jace Fry the other day.
oldmansteve
If they don’t put their lockers next to each other, the White Sox are a soulless franchise.
msqboxer
Wouldn’t that be a Bummer?
frankiegxiii
It would be a Bummer, but at least they’re still Eaton
joe6pack
They also signed David Freese and Phil Coke out of retirement. Now the infield will have burger, freese and a coke.
John Kappel
and they drink the gin that they have closing games.
Ya'll a bunch of salty crybabies
I take my burger medium rare, hold the onions…….
ChiSox_Fan
Such dumb comments posted over and over again at this site.
Ya'll a bunch of salty crybabies
Is your mute button finger broken? Get to muting, Gruber.
hyraxwithaflamethrower
Yes, but fortunately, people can now mute you if they want and see fewer of them. People are making jokes, you know, for fun. Maybe you should take the stick out and try it.
sufferforsnakes
Yeah, but we forgive you.
DarkSide830
God forbid…
Adios pelota!
Correct me if wrong but did the white Sox have Zach Pop at one time? Oh the marketing opportunities lol
Aaron Sapoznik
@Adios pelota!
No worries! The White Sox will be adding OF Oscar Colás to their collection of top Cuban players/prospects when the next international signing period becomes official on January 15th. Colás has reportedly agreed to a $2.7 MM signing bonus: mlb.com/news/white-sox-favorites-for-oscar-colas
As a player who has already had professional experience in Japan, Colás is expected to be fast-tracked to MLB, perhaps making his debut in 2023 where he might join Jake Burger and Jace Fry.
Whifff
He has been Yerminated.
“I’ll Be Back”???? With Jiminez and Robert slated to return probably not this year for Mercedes unless as an expanded roster guy in September.
Megatron2005
One Achilles tear is bad enough. Two is awful. Gotta give him credit for never giving up!
hyraxwithaflamethrower
Seriously. The fact that he stuck with it is impressive, that he’s come back to still rake is amazing.
sss847
dude’s professional career is textbook perseverance. hopefully he absolutely kills it in the bigs and we can put the escobar trade rumor to bed.
instead, go get seth beer from the diamondbacks – that way the roster has Beer, Burger, and Fry (and Oscar Colas – for the kids).
A'sfaninUK
Fantastic post, lol
bobtillman
Add a slice of tomato to keep my doc happy, and you’re on!!!!!
WillH
That was the running joke in the run up to the draft. The Sox were expected to take Burger and fans were clamoring for the FO to figure out how to get Beer also.
geg42
He wasn’t even a sandwich pick
johnnieleeboo
Great post, triple S. Used your stamps to get my mitt.
Since I’m into Sports Losing–I mean betting–I mean gaming, the post gives me a hankerin’ for a two pitcher Garlic-Fry parlay.
You say Garlick is an outfielder?
Is he still with the Twins? If so I can wait for the seventh inning.
Sliderdownandin
Happy meal… happy day!
A'sfaninUK
Another great example of how modern day prospects are more MLB-ready than ever before. I bet he’s been MLB-ready since May. We need to stop thinking “all prospects MUST have 4+ years in the minors” because its simply a lie, and only exists to stop us fans getting to enjoy elite level play from young players in their physical primes.
ChiSox_Fan
Well, the Sox youngsters are an exception. One after the other coming up and keeping the Sox in 1st place!
You won’t find these guys on the Cubs Iowa farm, for example!
pinstripes17
The Cubs live rent free in your head, grow up.
njbirdsfan
Shouldn’t you be off rooting for Wall Street to foreclose on someone’s house? Oh wait, my bad, I equate Wall Street and the Yankees because their both soulless corporate entities.
ncaachampillini
Yes because they already came up one after another seemingly endlessly from 2015 to 2016 and all helped deliver a WS title. Let’s see if the Sox kids can do the same thing. The Yerminator had a nice little run there but he’ll never be heard from again.
PutPeteinthehall
Wouldn’t be so fast to count him out. Had great numbers in the minors. Obviously he’ll be back and hit better than he has been of late. He has one thing going for him. He was available every day almost no one else on the roster can say that
mlb1225
The kid hadn’t played since 2017. I understand that what you’re saying is the case for some, but laying off the game for 4 years, he should at least get stretched out some before going directly to the majors.
WillH
He has appeared in 42 of his AAA team’s 48 games this season.. That’s about as stretched out as he could be right now.
CalcetinesBlancos
Who thinks that about college prospects like Burger? If anything people give the college kids two years max to impress in the minors and then start calling them busts.
joeyrocafella
Very well-deserved promotion. I watched him play in Charlotte on Wednesday and thought he looked ready for the majors. He will be a very good addition
bobtillman
Exactly (tho beating up on Norfolk’s pitching staff is pretty easy). UK (above) makes a good point; it’s bizarre to think Joe Burroughs and Trevor Lawrence can handle the complexities of being an NFL QB, and Burger (who’s 3 years older) can’t handle the one ground ball he’s likely to see, or will all of a sudden lose his bat to ball skills.
Gwynning's Anal Lover
BurgerTime! Let’s get cookin’! When will Mr. Hot Dog, Mr. Pickle, and Mr. Egg get promoted?
bobtillman
They’re being kept on ice.
I’ll walk myself out.
TikTok Influencer
Ghahaahahahaha his name is Burger. As in Hamburger. I don;t think anybody has pointed it out yet. BWHWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA
bobtillman
Good thing MLBTR wasn’t around when Dick Pole got promoted.
StudWinfield
I like his buns
hyraxwithaflamethrower
I’m surprised they optioned Mercedes. I honestly expected him to get a little longer to make adjustments at the big league level, especially now that their lead on Cleveland has swelled a little. I expected that move more toward the end of this month. That said, eager for Burger to get his shot. A long time coming and he’s certainly earned it.
Dumpster Divin Theo
Makes sense. With the all star break they can see what they have in Jake while Yermin gets needed reps. Maybe few more games in at C and 1b.
Aaron Sapoznik
An extraordinary story regarding a top prospect who had nothing but bad luck with injuries and then the pandemic which curtailed his minor league development last year when he was finally healthy enough to play. That said, kudos to Jake Burger for his determination and also the White Sox for having the faith to invite him to their alternate camp last summer after allowing him to play in an amateur league ahead of that promotion.
After a bit of a slow start, Burger has been awesome at AAA Charlotte with the bat while also learning the new position of 2B following the Nick Madrigal injury. Now he may have an opportunity to play both 3B and 2B with the latest injury to Yoan Moncada.
Tatsumaki
It’s been real yermin. Karma came back for you
hyraxwithaflamethrower
Aside from ignoring a sign, what exactly did he do wrong that forced “karma” to make him awful for the past two months? Pitchers adjusted to him, he didn’t adjust back. Hope he figures it out in the minors.
pinstripes17
Karma for what, being good at baseball?
Dumpster Divin Theo
Yeah Mike127. More grinders like Adam Laroche. May want to lay off the day drinking. Sure Mike127 isn’t Tony’s handle?
differentbears
More grinders? They promoted a Burger.
Tatsumaki
If he is good why is he getting demoted? SOUND LOGIC.
mike127
100% karma……the guy is a me first player and LaRussa gave him enough rope. LaRussa covered for him and didn’t make public the stuff the Sunday “Yermin was late to the park”. How did Yermin repay it…..oh with the “that’s what Yermin does” on the 3-0 swing up 11…..and then LaRussa was done…..grilled him in the media and was just waiting for this moment. Absolutely karma. Goodbye Yermin. (And thanks for the hot month)
Check out some of LaRussa’s quote—-as tweeted by Hector Gomez “some guys are better fits…we need more gur]TS like like Adam Engle and Adam LaRoche and less showboats……that’s winning folks”
njbirdsfan
Taking a guy on a roll and messing with his confidence until he’s back in AAA…that’s hall of fame management right there.
mike127
Nj——-a 28 year old career minor leaguer is always going to regress back to the mean….always. It’s glaringly obvious that LaRussa, through his quotes, has his vision set towards this TEAM making a run at a title. There is probably a lot to be said when combining talent and culture at that level. The talent is obvious…..and I’m sure Tony wants the culture to be in sync. Barring a quick, unforeseen injury, I’m willing to bet that we’ve seen the last of Yermin.
its_happening
Then the guy isn’t mentally tough enough. Njbirds you are one of the few that can take the obvious and turn it into something it’s not. Quite a gift.
User 2997803866
There’s always this guy. We need LaRussa’s and LaRoche’s out of the game, not in it. This is a revenge demotion. LaRussa has been holding out until the numbers made it justifiable. In the words of Tim Anderson, “We’re winning despite him.” Him being LaRussa.
Ully
Mercedes ran out of gas.
BeeVeeTee
Burger or Vaughn are being pimped out for a potential involving Gallo. Book it!
sufferforsnakes
Seriously? I can’t see Vaughn going anywhere.
hyraxwithaflamethrower
Agreed. Vaughn for a guy with years of control, like K. Marte, maybe. But not for a guy with just 1.5 years. Flipping Burger (had to get at least one pun in) for Gallo, potentially, but even then, I’m not sure that’s the Sox’ best move.
jhomeslice
Gallo is such a 1 dimensional hitter, in the Adam Dunn mold. They don’t need another guy who can’t drive in a runner from 3rd with less than 2 out. I hope they don’t get him, certainly not for what it would cost.
jimrad
who needs gallo when we have sheets ?
PutPeteinthehall
Vaughn is not going anywhere. He was rushed a little due injuries in the outfield. I don’t think he even had an outfielders glove in the farm system let alone playing there. Doing the right thing seeing what the rookies have before swinging a deadline deal. A deal with Arizona is a salary dump for them and the prospects you would be giving would probably be of lower level. Rentals are the way to go for the pale hose. The team is loaded when healthy.
BeeVeeTee
How can anyone say Vaughn is not going anywhere? Vaughn and Burger both started the season on the 40 man roster while the two of them are very movable to a team that is in a compete rebuild looking to move a player like Gallo with one year left after this season while the White Sox are in need of a right fielder with one more year after this season until Cespedes develops in the minor leagues. Plus, the White Sox need to make a big move this season to put them over the top especially with the dominating pitching rotation that might not be the same next year!
oldmansteve
Can I bet against you? What is you wager? I’ll match it.
msqboxer
Demoting the Yerminator….hitting .272 7HR 35+ RBIs…..looks like he is out of favor with TLR. Trading Mercedes and a Blake Rutherford would get you a solid experienced bullpen arm.
hyraxwithaflamethrower
Experienced? Maybe. Solid? I rather doubt it, unless you’re talking about a rental.
WillH
Such a wasted opportunity for a Burger Time video game reference on Twitter….
Elton
I would like to know if his struggles started after he hit that grand slam and his manager started criticizing him
hyraxwithaflamethrower
If you’re referring to the Twins’ game, it was a solo shot. And no, by the time that game ended, his BA had dropped 50 points from the end of April and his OPS 130. He’d already started going downhill. The problem isn’t that he regressed, just that he’s been ice cold for two months.
oldmansteve
There is a reason Yermin was a 28 year old rookie. He is a babip dependent DH only with not enough in game power for the position. He was a great story, but don’t let narratives get in the way of objective evaluations.
its_happening
Yankee Steve, stop. Again you know nothing of the situation.
How did Chatwood pitch yesterday? Another awful take. Go on vacation you need it.
Whifff
Honestly, if the manager criticizing you for missing a take sign destroys your career, you probably didn’t have what it takes for the long haul to begin with.
PutPeteinthehall
The man has a catchers mitt. Not needed on this team. However considering the quality of back up catchers in the league I believe his name will be brought up by a few other teams when deals are discussed.
ChiSox_Fan
Yerminator for Bryant.
Cubs need a solid backup C.
Sox need another guy for IL so Sox can bring up another youngster!
Fred K. Burke
Include Vaughn and Sheets and you got a deal!
painterman360
What a country we live in now….where you trade in a Mercedes, and all you get back is a burger.
phantomofdb
This is CLEARLY The Wrath of La Tortuga!!
Up through hitting an absolute bomb off a position player’s 70 mph pitch, his slash line was .364/.410/.574
Since he woke up that next morning his slash line is .162/.236/.207
OPS dropped from .984 to .443. Definitely cursed.
king joffrey
Kudos to the Sox for trading in their Mercedes before it totally broke down. As for TLR, some of his decisions have seemed questionable at the time, (e.g. batting Goodwin 5th a few days ago), but they have had a funny way of generally working out. I wasn’t a fan of his hire, but IMHO, most of the criticism directed his way of late seems overwrought.
jhomeslice
The most questionable decision of all is not Yermin getting demoted, but giving a roster spot back to Eaton. What do they possibly think he can do? Goodwin is doing well (OPS over 1 vs righties), and has flat out won Eaton’s job at this point. Eaton was a disaster since the moment they signed him, has not done a thing all year. They have no use for him at all. He cannot hit, and looks like he will get hurt every time he runs.
When Engel gets back, I hope they are practical enough to kick Eaton off the team for good, rather than let arrogant pride and vanity keep him on the team in the hopes he will contribute something miraculously so that people will forget how pitifully stupid it was to sign him.
Idioms for Idiots
@jhomeslice
I agree. As much as I was hoping Yermin was starting to break out of his slump, it didn’t look like the playing time was there for him. And now that Collins is starting to hit, I’d like to see him play every day at C/DH until Yoan comes back. Obviously I want Burger playing 3B every game until Yoan makes it back, then maybe stick him at DH, depending on how well he does when that occurs.
The thing that worries me with Eaton coming back is Sheets playing time will dry up, and I would much rather see how Sheets does over the next couple weeks (if he stays up that long). As for Eaton, I suppose play him and see if his struggles were entirely injury-related, or if nothing else, if they can catch lightning in a bottle with him. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have a problem cutting their losses with him.
Unfortunately, it’s not like Lamb, Goodwin, or Hamilton are serious upgrades to him, so it will probably be easier for Reinsdorf to stomach cutting one of those guys than Eaton. I know, that should be a non-issue, but it’s Reinsdorf we’re talking about.
jhomeslice
At this point, I do think Goodwin is a solid upgrade to Eaton. Goodwin hit 17 homers with a near .800 OPS in 2019, and has decent career numbers, .780 OPS in 1000 AB’s, higher than Eaton for his career. Eaton’s best days are not only clearly behind him, but long gone. Goodwin stinks vs lefties but is doing very well vs righties. His production is pretty much what they could have hoped for from Eaton in the best case imaginable scenario. Eaton has no lightning, no bottle necessary to try and catch! All they need is Engel to get healthy, and their RF situation does not look so bleak with a Goodwin/Engel platoon. That’s way better than Mazara last year, or Eaton this year.
Burger and Sheets are interesting. I know it would appear that they are not great fits for the future because of their positions, if there is one thing this year has shown, you can never have too much depth. I would not be upset if they did not make a big trade, since I doubt there is a player that would be that great for this team. I think their offense will turn out to be fine. Their bullpen is another matter, and I think they could use 2 reliable relievers there. They should be able to get help there without giving up a premium.
jimrad
Looks like the Sox would have been better off with Schwarber, Rosario or Peterson instead of Eaton swinging at pitches in the dirt. This is his last call to get his head out of his butt or hit the bricks.. Sox have replacements for him . (Sheets,Goodwin,Hamilton)
jimrad
I forgot Lamb. All of them outplayed Eaton .
Fred K. Burke
Joc Peterson will be available from the Cubs by the end of next week. 6.5 games back as of today.
house music
If Burger continues to hit after Yoan comes back, and he’s not cut out to handle 2nd base, why can’t he just be our DH? Yermin was our DH and how he’s sent down.
All of the articles about Burger being called up keep mentioning his demotion after Yoan, what about DH?
HBan22
Not 100% certain, but maybe they were assuming that when Eloy Jimenez comes back that him and Andrew Vaughn would be the two most likely candidates to DH. I think the White Sox will be extremely careful with Eloy for the remainder of the season (and perhaps beyond), and that they’ll try to keep him off the field as much as possible. Maybe Burger should start attempting to learn to play the outfield in addition to 2B, as that could be his easiest path to playing time once all of the White Sox starters are healthy next season.
BeeVeeTee
Burger may be a trade piece or part of the line up in the future. Abreu’s contract is up after next season so who knows if he retires or stays with the White Sox or go somewhere else. In the meantime, injuries have been plaguing Abreu so someone needs to replace him as the future first baseman. Is it Burger or Vaughn?
Vaughn is a legit first baseman. Vaughn had to step up playing the outfield due to Eloy’s injuries. Eloy has no business in the outfield and can be a future DH for the rest of his contract with the White Sox unless they want him to learn to play first base while keeping Vaughn in the outfield.
Burger is a good problem to have since he can play third base and was learning to play second base in AAA. Burger has a lot of pop in his bat so he can DH as well.
The Sox have a lot of options with Burger and Vaughn for future pieces in the line up or potential trade bait. Honestly, Hahn is secretly up to making splash in the near future and I believe it’s for Gallo. Gallo makes a lot of sense to play right field this year and next year until Cespedes is ready and we all know Eaton’s option is not being picked up by the Sox. Gallo on his last arbitration year in 2022 and the White Sox can easily pick that up for what Eaton was going to get next season. The Rangers are two or three years away to actually competing in their division and would love a player like Burger or Vaughn in the line up for the next few years to get MLB ready when the Rangers are ready to compete against teams in their division.
BeeVeeTee
Teams were asking about Burger during the Fall League last year. Burger was hitting in the Fall League and has been killing it AAA. Both Getz and Hahn were high on Burger.
Meanwhile the Sox have a huge decision with moving either Burger and Vaughn. Both players are first round picks. Vaughn was the best college player available when the Sox drafted him and he did not have too much time in the minors to develop due to Eloy’s injury. Meanwhile Burger was a great college player as well when the Sox drafted, however, injuries plagued Burger’s minor league career but he made a huge stride with losing weight and staying healthy. More importantly, Burger made a huge jump from started in AAA after a three year absence due to injuries and last year’s pandemic. As much as I would love to see both Burger and Vaughn as future pieces in the Sox’s line up but there is no room for them both. That is just a point of view of with the Sox using money to fill other spots and paying other players in the future.