The White Sox announced that outfielder Austin Slater has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a meniscus tear in his right knee. The IL placement is retroactive to April 11. Outfielder Greg Jones was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.
With Andrew Benintendi (groin strain) and Mike Tauchman (hamstring strain) already on the IL, Chicago’s outfield has now been further reduced by Slater’s injury, which looks to be significantly longer term in nature depending on the severity of the tear. The best-case scenario could see Slater back on the field in a few weeks’ time, while he might be shelved for a couple of months if surgery is required. Manager Will Venable told SoxMachine’s JamesFegan and other reporters that the team doesn’t have a timeline yet for Slater.
This is actually the second injury Slater has suffered during his brief tenure with the White Sox, after an oblique issue cost him a couple of weeks during Spring Training. Slater signed a one-year contract worth $1.75MM in guaranteed money back in November, as the Sox aimed to use the right-handed hitting Slater in a platoon capacity in one or both of the corner outfield positions. Now, all of Chicago’s planned corner outfield candidates are on the IL, leaving Michael A. Taylor, Brooks Baldwin, Joshua Palacios, and now Jones as the makeshift group flanking center fielder Luis Robert Jr.
Slater posted solid to very good numbers as a part-timer with San Francisco from 2020-23, but his production cratered badly last year, as he slashed just .209/.321/.266 over 212 combined plate appearances with the Giants, Reds, and Orioles. He has actually logged more big league innings as a center fielder than he has in left or right field, though defensive metrics indicate that Slater is much better suited to corner outfield work.
He’s definitely going to miss more than ten days, torn meniscus’ suck.
Yeah, he’s going to be out a while…
Depends on the severity of the year, per Mark.
Yeah but they probably don’t think it’s severe enough to put him on the 60 day IL. Either that or they have him on the 10 day until they find out the severity, and will transfer him to the 60 day if necessary.
Bummer, he looked good out there, saw his opening day dinger
So many injuries early in the season.
Going from the warm and sunny atmospheres of Arizona and Florida to the cold temps in the Midwest and Northeast is a difficult adjustment and can be tough on the body.
These things happen in the dead of summer when its 90 degrees with high humidity.
Oof…. Not much you can do about it though. Good thing the White Sox are playing to be worst, not best. Otherwise this would be an issue..
Venable man, I hope you know what you got yourself into.
I get guys want to be a manager, but this org is a manager killer now, even when they do well, the idiot owner will stab them in the back.
I wouldn’t wish that job on my worst enemy
thats good news in a way, opens up a spot for Drury, we need Drury back.
Have to get Meidroth over to SS, Sosa at 2B, Teel at C, Benintendi, Robert and Baldwin in the OF, Vaughn and Vargas at the corners, Drury at DH and we are set with a Taylor, Lee, Tauchman, Thaiss on the bench.
Cut Maton, Amaya and Jones.
Dude Vaughn is batting .111 time to go bye bye , he’s probably jerking Jerry for the job.
Yeah I know I aint so high on Vaughn either, I had been calling for Sheets at first for two seasons. But for ’25, we are stuck with him. Robert too it looks like.
I wanted Sheets to get a better chance to play 1st for a whole season and not worry about anyone being behind him..
Current stats:
Vaughn: 48AB .104/.173/.381
Sheets: 36 AB: .333/.359/.915
I get its a short sample size, but just saying….
White Sox didn’t have a deep enough roster to handle injuries.
They do not have a deep enough roster to handle a lineup card.