The White Sox made a series of procedural moves this morning in advance of tomorrow’s opener in Detroit, including designating outfielder Micker Adolfo for assignment and outrighting catcher Seby Zavala to Charlotte. The Southsiders will open the season with Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, Andrew Vaughn, and the recently acquired AJ Pollock in the outfield, with Adam Engel in reserve. Reese McGuire will open the season as Yasmani Grandal’s deputy behind the plate.
The team also announced a series of other moves this morning, including placing several players on the 10-day IL: right-handers Ryan Burr, Joe Kelly, and Lance Lynn; lefty Garrett Crochet; third baseman Yoan Moncada; and DH Yermin Mercedes. Moncada, who has a grade-1 oblique strain, is expected back within a few weeks, while Crochet will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the 2022 season, but timetables have not yet been established for others. Lynn in particular was expected to play a major role in anchoring the rotation as the Sox look to repeat in the AL Central, but he’s expected to miss at least the first month and a half of the season as he recovers from knee surgery.
Adolfo, 25, was ranked as the 18th best prospect in the White Sox organization recently, with a 45 scouting grade. It’s the eighth year BA has ranked Adolfo as a top-25 White Sox prospect; he’s been in the organization since signing for $1.6MM out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old back in 2013. He still boasts plus-plus raw power, but with a hefty strikeout rate north of 30%. Adolfo has a plus-plus arm as well, even with Tommy John surgery part of his lengthy injury history. Given that Adolfo is out of minor league options, a club will have to keep him in the Majors if they want to avoid exposing him to waivers again.
Zavala, apparently, passed through waivers unclaimed and has been bumped off the 40-man roster. He caught 19% of Chicago’s innings behind the plate in 2021, but they’ve got McGuire backing up Grandal. The Sox will have to re-add Zavala to the MLB roster should the need for him arise in the Majors again. The 28-year-old Zavala hasn’t posted a wRC+ above 89 at any level since Double-A in 2018. Three years ago, Baseball America described him as “a borderline average defender who blocks well but needs to do better at smothering balls in the dirt,” describing his throwing arm as “average.”
In the case of Moncada’s oblique strain, “the White Sox say the injury is much worse than they thought,” according to Alex Shapiro of NBC Sports Chicago. It seems Moncada will be out for a few weeks rather than the expected few days, so Jake Burger snags the Opening Day start at the hot corner tomorrow at Comerica Park.
Giants please grab Micker.
Hes not gonna be making it past Baltimore
Pirates, come on. When you have Kevin Newman batting in the five-hole, you know you need some MLB-ready power.
Some team will claim Adolfo and put him on their active roster unlike Zavala who cleared waivers and was outrighted.
DFA doesn’t mean he’s on waivers – can still be traded. Just removes him from the 40 man. Will have to hit waivers though if not traded in a few days – we’ll see.
Some team will grab Micker….and return him after he hits .185 with 40% k rate.
That’s not how it works when a player is designated.
Return him? Not rule 5 draft dude
Shh…..no one will know they are trying to pass Micker through waivers if you don’t report it.
They might be getting someone back in a trade. Nothing real notable, maybe a need in the minors somewhere.
Stunning analysis. Do tell
Dumpster Diving Ricky!
Sounds like Hahn misunderstood – it’s the 28 man active roster, not the 28 man disabled list.
Micker has a chance to be a hitter like Jorge Soler.
Adolfo certainly has the power potential of Soler. Not as certain about his overall hitting tool. Adolfo’s 70 grade arm is better which should allow him to man RF in addition to LF. Soler is pretty much a DH these days. Soler has been plagued with injury issues for much of his professional career. Adolfo has spent more time on the IL than on an active roster.
Teams are going to rush to put a strikeout machine on a big league roster? Surely you are taking the mick.
WTF! The White Sox fired their trainer at the conclusion of last season after an injury plagued 2021. They’re getting off to a worse start in 2022.
Firing a trainer unless it’s for conduct unbecoming is the mark of inept management .
Seems to me that a trainer can have measurable goals just like anyone else, and fail to accomplish them.
A trainer can have an impact on a team’s health, especially when it pertains to some muscular injuries like the numerous hamstring ailments the White Sox have suffered since the retirement of Herm Schneider following the 2018 season.
Schneider was the longest tenured athletic trainer in MLB with a 40-year White Sox career that included their 2005 World Championship season. The White Sox also tended to rank high among MLB teams with the fewest player days spent on the DL/IL. Since his retirement it’s been a downhill spiral. Many, if not most injuries can’t be prevented but it’s likely not a coincidence that Schneider fared better than most of his peers when it came to overseeing and managing players health issues.
Well said sir. He was ridiculously valuable to the organization from a training aspect and also had the respect of players from all over the league
Micker to the Padres
All those players on the injured list and still couldn’t find a spot for Adolfo? Damn…
And James – quick note, you missed Eloy’s last name so the link isn’t working.
Adolfo will end up traded. No way they release him & get nothing back.
He’s gone. He won’t clear waivers.
What minor league level will Oscar Colas start in?
I read AA with him and Cepedes.
Oscar Colas is beginning his White Sox professional career at A+ Winston-Salem. Yoelqui Céspedes is beginning the 2022 season at AA Birmingham where he finished at in 2021. Céspedes also began his pro career at A+ Winston-Salem in 2021.
Exciting time to be Jake Burger!
if I was GM I would have been shopping him last year.
How do you know they weren’t? Maybe he just sat on the shelf gathering dust because no one was buying at the price.
Why wouldn’t they put Crochet on the 60 day IL now to open up a 40 man spot? I mean even if you aren’t going to use it immediately, wouldn’t it be better to have it opened? Crochet is not playing this year regardless.
100% Agreed!
The White Sox are hanging on to the notion they will be blessed with a Bene Tleilax elbow transplant within the next two months. The recovery times on those are instantaneous.
I don’t think it works that way to start the season. Putting someone on the 60 day doesn’t open a 40 man spot unless it is done after the season starts. It is one of those safeguards against teams loading up the 60 day just to roster more than 40 guys.
Not true: mlb.com/glossary/injuries/60-day-injured-list
The 60-day IL does remove a player from the 40-man roster. That said, a team can also use the 10-day IL well beyond that time frame including beyond 60 days. “That way, the club won’t need to risk losing another player by going through the process to clear a spot on the 40-man roster when the injured player is ready to return.”.
In the case of the White Sox, they didn’t feel the need to put 60-day candidates like Garrett Crochet, Yermin Mercedes or Lance Lynn on the longer list, at least for now. You can rest assure Crochet will be placed on the 60-day IL sooner rather than later when the team truly needs to open a spot up for an ‘impactful’ player, perhaps the result of an in-season trade.
Thus far, the only player the White Sox have placed on the 60-day IL was Jonathan Stiever back on March 24th. That move was needed when they claimed left-handed pitcher Yoán Aybar off waivers from the New York Yankees. At that time, the White Sox had a full 40-man roster and weren’t ready to DFA anyone else off of their reserve list. Stiever had lat surgery last August and his return time is TBD. It’s possible he can return before the end of the 2022 season, something that will not occur with Crochet after his recent TJ surgery.
C’mon white Sox make this guy a two way player he hit 97 when pitching in Japan minors
I would’ve sent Vaughn down. He could get regular reps down in Charlotte. He also never spent any time in AAA. Keep Adolfo around for a month and see if he can even remotely translate into an option. If not, then DFA him. He’s got everything to play for.
Ooh, good idea.
Vaughn is better and he’ll get regular ABs at 1B, DH, and RF.
Gonna be some crappy weather in Detroit tomorrow.
Drizzling in Lincoln Park now, Cubs playing opener against Brewers. Cubs up 5-3 bottom of the 7th. Two outs.
OK, so we lose a guy to an injury happened with a lot of pitchers already. What irks me is TA getting suspended for a worth less game last year that carries over to this year against the same team who will target him Sunday when he returns. The Royals got to him in 2019 and he was wrong, Tigers got to his head last year looks like Twins and Guardians get a shot at him this year. He has no self control, is volatile, and a worse case scenario defensively for a MLB SS. Thank God we have Garcia ! Ha! Blame it on the trainer TA isn’t playing the first two games dummies!
Is this a bit? If so, you’re pretty bad at it.
Says the guy who stole the Dumpster Divin Theo bit and is really bad at it.
Worthless. One word. Happy to help!
Then again, the Sox got Luis Basabe back after he made the rounds post-DFA. So if they want Micker back, just wait a few months. Return to sender…
Could be interesting if the Phillies make a move on Micker. Need a replacement for…Mick, and Muzz isn’t ready.
GM Rick got something for Zack Collins and a great trade AJ Pollock for Kimberly, he knows what he’s doing