The White Sox are set to activate Yoan Moncada and Joe Kelly off the injured list for Monday’s game against the Guardians, manager Tony La Russa told reporters (including LaMond Pope of The Chicago Tribune). Both players will be playing in their first games of the 2022 season, and in Kelly’s case, it also marks his debut in a White Sox uniform.
Moncada suffered a right oblique strain near the end of Spring Training, and it would like the third baseman is back in form, given how he has shredded Triple-A pitching during a rehab assignment. Moncada will be looking to build on a solid 2021 season that was perhaps slightly disappointing because it was “only” solid, given all of the superstar hype attached to Moncada during his time as baseball’s best prospect. 2019 saw Moncada reach a higher level of performance, though as he enters his age-27 season, it isn’t yet clear if Moncada will indeed become an All-Star.
Kelly signed a two-year, $17MM contract just after the lockout ended, as between Kelly and fellow free agent Kendall Graveman, the Sox reinforced their bullpen depth in advance of Craig Kimbrel being traded to the Dodgers. Due to a biceps strain suffered during the NLCS last season, Kelly’s offseason prep work was delayed, hence his late start to the 2022 campaign.
With Moncada and Kelly back, the White Sox will gain some relief from the swath of injuries that have hampered their club all season. However, it’s a case of two steps forward and another step back, as La Russa told reporters (including Daryl Van Schouwen of The Chicago Sun-Times) after today’s game that reliever Aaron Bummer will be placed on the injured list with a knee problem. Kelly will take Bummer’s spot on the 26-man roster.
A reliable bullpen arm over his five previous seasons in Chicago, Bummer has gotten off to a slow start, with a 4.91 ERA and 15.1% walk rate over his first 11 innings of work in 2022. The extra walks certainly haven’t helped Bummer’s efforts, but there is also at least a little bad luck involved, as the grounder specialist has a .370 BABIP. It isn’t known how serious Bummer’s knee issue is, or how long the left-hander could be out of action.
Rookies Tanner Banks and Bennett Sousa are now the only healthy left-handers in the Sox bullpen, and Anderson Severino (another first-year player) is the only other southpaw reliever on Chicago’s 40-man roster. While Banks has pitched well thus far, it stands to reason that the White Sox might look to add a more experienced left-handed arm if Bummer is expected to miss beyond the 10-day minimum.
Net positive. Hope Bummer uses this time to watch a ton of video and figure out what he’s been doing wrong. Maybe it’s been caused by this knee issue, I don’t know. But the Sox could use him back in top form.
Bummer been shot since 2020.
You could say bummer has been a bummer
Yeah, I’m sure it must have been a knee injury lol. I’m really glad to see Moncada back in the lineup too.
I want to see Joe vs Correa again.
I just wanna get my hands on one of those Joe Kelly “pouty face” bobbleheads! And a rematch would be nice too.
I’ll bet Trevor Bauer would be happy to sell you his Joe Kelly shoes.
That’s a Bummer
NBD about Bummer. He’s been bad this yr. I trust the rookies. We got enough vets at the back end anyways w/Kelly, Graveman & Hendriks. Not to mention how good Ruiz & Foster have been.
I’m guessing it’ll be Burr getting sent down once Cueto’s ready…
Who goes down for Moncada? Mendick? I’m thinking Sheets goes down when Vaughn comes back. Or do they send Burger down now to play every day?
Only way I’d send burger down is to see him at 2nd base for a few games. Then bring him back up in 2-3 weeks once Harrison gets DFA’d
I’d send Mendick down. Let Burger stay up for 5-7 more games then send him down. But yeah spot start Burger for Moncada a couple times over next 5-7 games then roll with Moncada & Harrison as depth guy at 3B. Leury & Harrison platoon at 2B.
Sheets is a big lefty bat they still need sometimes.
Madrigal is available.
Dylan Cease and Eloy Jimenez for Jose Quintana… pfffft! lmao!!
Dumpster Diving Ricky time!
Bummer clearly looks frustrated and/or lacks confidence on the mound. I cringe when TLR brings him in late with a narrow lead. Now when Bummer is ON and confident he looks great but that is not very often these last couple years. Hopefully he can get close to 100% and/or TLR eases him back into situations in like 6th or 7th innings and maybe in games when they’re down a run or two rather than up a run or two.
All Bummer does is give up easy runs in virtually every appearance. He hasn’t been reliable for multiple seasons, and it’s time to move on. That said, I hope/wish/pray he proves me wrong, but that never seems to happen. I know my club.
Outlier for Bummer was his ’19 season, not the other way around. Opponents know his command is awful. Walk the first guy, go into nervous wreck mode once a guy is on…..and anything he can actually throw for a strike is lined for a base hit or topped for an infield hit that otherwise good announcer Jason B calls “unlucky” every single time like it’s a shock even though he pitches to that result by design. If a hitter is even remotely disciplined and doesn’t swing at trash, he’d probably walk just about everyone. Should be in a mop-up role and traded once he somehow strings together maybe 3 low pressure decent appearances.
Honestly, the only thing that might work is sending him down. Maybe it pushes the “reset” button and kicks him in to Spartan Warrior survival mode like Liam seems to channel. At the very least, he’s not blowing leads when our staters pitch their assez off for 6 innings only to piss it away in 2/3rds of an inning.
In a corresponding move, Sox are demoting Burger. Frankly, I think that’s the wrong call. I’d have liked to see whether he could handle 2B while sending Mendick down.
I doubt Burger has the range to cover 2B. I like the kid though. We’ll seem him back shortly, given Moncada’s history.
I have my reservations as well, but would he really be worse than Leury/Harrison/Mendick? At least he can hit. And we won’t know for certain unless the Sox give him a chance.
In other news Tim Andersson’s suspension was reduced to a fine. the white sox are appealing, considering Andersson has been obtrusive defensively.