The White Sox announced that outfielder Oscar Colás has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Charlotte. He had been designated for assignment a couple of days ago when the club was making its final roster moves ahead of Opening Day.
Seeing this transaction would have been surprising a few years ago but is far more understandable given the way things have played out recently. Colás was a high-profile player even before joining the affiliated ranks. A native of Cuba, he had played both in that country and in Japan, building a reputation with his strong offensive stats. He also dabbled in pitching, leading to some “Cuban Shohei Ohtani” chatter, but his official track record on the mound consists of just 3 1/3 innings in Cuba.
He eventually signed with the White Sox early in 2022, getting a relatively high $2.7MM signing bonus. His first season in affiliated ball went quite well. In that 2022 season, he went from High-A to Double-A and Triple-A. Across those three levels, he hit 23 home runs in 117 games, producing a combined .314/.371/.524 batting line and 137 wRC+.
Going into 2023, he was considered one of the top 100 prospects in the league, but his stock has been falling since then. He has 301 big league plate appearances thus far with a 5.3% walk rate and 26.9% strikeout rate. His .223/.271/.309 line translates to a wRC+ of just 58. His minor league production has also fallen off. His .255/.336/.423 line at Triple-A over the past two years is better than his major league work but amounts to a wRC+ of 93, or 7% below league average. His defense hasn’t been well regarded, making that declining offense all the more troubling.
Coming into 2025, the Sox didn’t seem keen on keeping a job open for him. They already had Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Benintendi in the outfield mix and then added Austin Slater, Michael A. Taylor, Mike Tauchman and Travis Jankowski. Injuries to Tauchman and Benintendi in spring perhaps opened a path for Colás but he struck out in 38.9% of his plate appearances in Cactus League action.
He has an option remaining, so the Sox could have simply sent him to the minors. But they bumped him off the 40-man and put him on the wire, taking the risk that they would lose him completely. Any of the other 29 clubs could have grabbed him and stashed him in Triple-A but none of them were willing to give him a roster spot, an indication of where his value is right now.
Since he has less than three years of service time and this is his first career outright, he does not have the right to elect free agency. He’ll stick with the White Sox as a depth piece but without taking up a roster spot. The Sox won’t be competing this year and it seems likely that outfield playing time will be open in the second half. Robert should be one of the top trade candidates of the coming months as long as he stays healthy and the other outfielders should be on the block as well. If Colás can turn things around in Charlotte, he could perhaps get another shot at the majors later in the summer.
Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images
No one claimed? What am I missing?
Well…you see…Colas was not a very good baseball player. I think that’s why no other team claimed him.
But the rest of the league falls all over themselves to grab every Yankees can’t miss prospect, ever.
Florial, Frazier, Montero, soon to be Dominguez.
I could go on forever, baby.
Colas was never a Yankees prospect…
@Brian
have you not seen his stats all together in the Cuban, Japanese, and minor leagues?
Just because you destroy other leagues means little in the majors. What’s amazing is that people still do not understand this despite how many players fail to make it in the majors but yet were ‘great in other leagues’.
Obviously some do make it and its why hype builds up around these guys and cause massive overpays.
I think their success also spoils them into thinking they will just waltz right in and do the same in the Majors.. It takes work and I think this is where the disconnect is with the player and the org afraid to actually coach the player up and really enforce the idea that you need to keep working at it, otherwise you will fail.
Being a bad baseball player didn’t stop Mike Tauchmann, Michael A. Taylor, and Austin Slater from getting roster spots.
Maybe he should adopt the nickname “The Uncola”.
Maybe you should adopt the nickname “the Uncoola”.
Maybe when he gets deported from Australia he should adopt the nickname “The Unkoala”
Poor fielder who hasn’t hit during his opportunities in the show. The question isn’t what are you missing, but rather how are you missing this. He might be a good claim for a team as bad as the CWS, but alas…
Sox don’t develop well. Losing culture takes a toll on anyone.
Agreed re position players. They have some good pitching prospects coming, though.
Can’t really play a position. You have to be one helluva hitter for someone to give you a roster spot under those circumstances.
I’ve seen him up close in RF at the rate. He’s ok as a fielder. Nothing special. Way overmatched at the dish. Seeing both him and TA play in 2023 was hard in the eyes. TA was no better last night. Both need to see an optometrist.
Surprised Miami didn’t claim him, not cause he is Cuban, but their of ain’t all that, however this could be a blessing now all he has to do is focus on the season, don’t have to worry about dfa bouncing around and if he hits maybe another chance at the majors or maybe back to Japan next season.
Sox gave $2.7 million before they scouted this guy? Seems some of his flaws could have been seen by just watching him play. Maybe handing out big bucks based on reputation and word on the street does not pan out. They aren’t the only ones but Wow!
Good. He’s a bum.
This org needs to get it through their heads that just because a player is from Cuba, doesn’t mean that he’s a guaranteed star.
Or (and this would be logical) the Sox could just do better scouting.
I am positive, positive that the Sox gave him one too many chances. Go pound sand if you don’t like it.
That said, don’t assume that you know anything about me, because you clearly don’t.
Reminds me of the story from some years back about the two young Canadian sisters who were at an ice skating rink in Korea. The girls were in Korea because their father was a diplomat. Prior to Korea, the girls were with him in postings to Australia and Thailand. In fact, apart from the first year of their lives that was spent in Canada, the girls had always lived abroad.
The sisters were at the rink with the goal of teaching themselves to skate as neither had ever even been on skates before. While they were putting on their skates, they were mesmerized by the magnificent skating of a pair of Korean girls who were about the same age as they were. The Koreans glided swiftly, effortlessly and beautifully along the ice as if they were born with skates on their feet and lived their whole lives on the ice. The older sister remarked to her sister, “We oughta learn to skate like those girls.” Noticing they were being keenly watched by the sisters and eager to practice their English with foreigners, the Koreans skated over to the bench where the sisters were sitting and staring at them.
After some polite greetings in English, the sisters revealed they were Canadian. This suddenly caused a strange change in the demeanors of the Koreans. They looked mortified and began speaking rapidly in Korean to each other. The sisters were dumbfounded what was going as the chat until then had been quite amiable. Finally, the taller Korean girl said to the sisters, “You are Canadian. Would you please teach us how to skate?”
Six fan here. Colas really has not shown much so far. Lacking fundamentals and any above average tool.
It’s sometimes hard to gauge whether it’s the player or poor White Sox development. Often, it’s both.
Most of the players on the team when Grifol was in charge looked and played like a punctured balloon. Sizemore inherited a broken team and system. Let’s see what Venable does. The good news is that the team let go or demoted 21 players in the last 162 games. They now have a lot of young players and some traveled vets that know the right way to play ball. Colás stinks. They are still going to try to get something out of him. Cespedes brother must have really been a bum- got sent packing quickly.
What a garbage franchise, with fans to match. They will be much better off in Nashville.
Completely wrong. They just have a garbage owner.
They have one of the best fan bases in baseball and would outdraw the cubs for decades. Reinsdorf has really hurt the franchise in the last 15 years.
Oh, and they won’t be moving anywhere. The Ishbia brothers are increasing their ownership stake and will eventually run the team.
Says the shithole St. Louis fan…
2nd-tier fanbase from a 3rd-world city…
Sox are undefeated, no need for him even at AAA. Can’t believe I doubted Getz.
I cant decide
A) do the White Sox have the worst development system in all of MLB.
B)Players moral and desire are destroyed at the time they hang around the organization
C) both A & B
Accurately it’s probably B. Wsox dysfunction from their infamous contention window was completely exposed last year. The one thing they do well is developing pitchers.
Who needs morals to play baseball?
I seriously miss the days when it didnt matter to teams or fans what players did in their personal life if they helped the team win. It drives me absolutely effing bonkers that Bauer is not on an mlb team. A team like last seasons O’s, plug Bauer (at league minimum $)in the rotation with burnes and that’s a hell of a 1, 2 punch in the playoffs.
Nah, he’d choke.
@cpl: They have the worst position player development in all of MLB since the not long ago fired KW got involved about 25 years ago. Didn’t care about teaching defense or plate discipline in minors, so bad habits destined for failure persist.
They are pretty good with pitchers.
I’ll admit their 05 team was mostly vets that had been cut elsewhere. They were able to get a lot of mileage from their starters that somehow turned into workhorses. I’m hopeful for Venable to be a good manager. Even if the Cubs fans rub it to me that they trained him for us.
C
With their outfield likely to be traded midseason (Robert, others), they’re banking on Colás fixing his swing in Charlotte for cheap, then flipping him or slotting him in later. It’s a low-risk, high-reward gamble no one’s clocking.
The bottom line is the White Sox organization stinks.
At least when it comes to hitters. Pitching is great, but someone has to convince the Mummy that you need to drive runs in too.
Must have been because he had to play in the cold..LOL
Colas, like many of the guys in the White Sox org, got a ton of money and fawning by the org, but the org failed to actually coach these guys. To convince them to actually work hard to improve, that is the majors. you don’t and you become a bust. I think a lot of these guys got their cash and rested on their… ‘laurels’… They thought that because they were good in other leagues that this league would be no different.But the adjustments made in the majors are constantly occurring, and you better keep up or prepare to be a minor leaguer your whole career)
I think many of these latin kids just want one big payday as they grew up destitute. They get that payday and the desire is gone as their goal was achieved. There are those who want to win (and have the talent to transcend other leagues into the majors), but I think the ‘want’ is what really separates the ones, who have potential, that become great vs everyone else.
Not Surprised with 4/20 coming up, that no one wanted the colas that don’t hit worth a damn…hes some straight mids.