- White Sox slugger Eloy Jimenez is hoping to return by next weekend, writes James Fegan of The Athletic. Jimenez told Sox beat writers that on the morning he had his appendix removed, he woke up vomiting and unable to see straight or stand. “I really thought I was going to die,” Jimenez said of that unsettling experience, but the 26-year-old pledged to be back in the lineup soon. Manager Pedro Grifol discussed the ways in which he’ll work each of Jimenez, Jake Burger and third baseman Yoan Moncada into the lineup, noting that playing Moncada or Burger at second base isn’t a consideration. The Sox will likely give Jimenez some time in right field, ostensibly at the expense of Gavin Sheets, and Grifol indicated that the hot-hitting Burger could also see some time at first base. In 106 plate appearances this season, Jimenez has batted .258/.321/.423, though he was on a 14-for-33 hot streak at the time of his placement on the injured list.
White Sox Rumors
White Sox’ Davis Martin Undergoes Tommy John Surgery
The White Sox have informed reporters, including James Fegan of The Athletic, that right-hander Davis Martin has undergone Tommy John surgery.
Martin, 26, made his major league debut last year. He tossed 63 1/3 innings across 14 outings, nine of those being starts. He registered a 4.83 ERA in that time, striking out 17.8% of opponents while walking 7.1% and getting grounders on 36.7% of balls in play.
Martin came into this season with many considering him to be the club’s sixth starter behind the regular rotation of Dylan Cease, Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Michael Kopech and Mike Clevinger. All five of them have stayed healthy this year, which kept Martin down in Triple-A. He made three starts for the Charlotte Knights with a 2.81 ERA before landing on the minor league injured list with a forearm strain. It seems that further testing revealed the bad news and Martin will now go under the knife, missing the remainder of 2023 and the early parts of 2024 as well.
In the short term, it doesn’t immediately affect the White Sox, since their top five rotation options are still healthy and have been taking the ball on turn. But it’s essentially unheard of for a club to get through a full season using only five starters, meaning they will have to call upon another arm at some point. It’s also possible that the 15-28 White Sox end up selling at the deadline, opening up a rotation spot for the final months of the season.
Martin would have been the top option for such a job but will no longer be in the mix. Jesse Scholtens is on the club’s 40-man and has a 3.99 ERA through seven starts for Charlotte so far this year. Sean Burke is one of the club’s touted pitching prospects and is also with Charlotte, though he has a 9.49 ERA on the year and isn’t yet on the 40-man.
White Sox Reinstate Garrett Crochet
The White Sox announced that left-hander Garrett Crochet has been reinstated from the injured list. Right-hander Nicholas Padilla was optioned in a corresponding move.
Crochet, 24 next month, will be pitching in the majors for the first time in about a year and a half once he makes his first appearance of the season. He required Tommy John surgery in early April of 2022, which wiped out that entire season for him and the early parts of 2023 as well.
Prior to that lost year, Crochet had quickly established himself as a viable major league arm. The Sox selected him 11th overall in the 2020 draft and added him to their 60-man player pool shortly thereafter, with the minor leagues having been canceled by the pandemic that year. He made his major league debut later in that campaign with five scoreless appearances in the regular season and another in the postseason. In 2021, he stuck in the big leagues and tossed 54 1/3 innings with a 2.82 ERA, 28.3% strikeout rate, 11.7% walk rate and 40.2% ground ball rate.
In the 2021-2022 offseason, the Sox seemed to give some consideration to stretching the lefty out as a starter, though those plans ended up getting pushed off the table by his surgery. It was reported in November that the club would keep him in a relief role in the 2023 season after the long layoff, with his health and performance this season perhaps dictating what role he will have in the future.
Going forward, it will be interesting to see if the Sox ever have any interest in reconsidering a move to the rotation. Both Lucas Giolito and Mike Clevinger are slated for free agency this winter, while the club has an $18MM club option on Lance Lynn with a $1MM buyout. With Lynn currently sporting a 7.51 ERA on the year, he’ll need a strong finish for the club to consider picking that up, meaning it’s possible three holes open up in that rotation next year. With only Dylan Cease and Michael Kopech currently lined up for jobs in 2024, there would have to be at least some temptation to give Crochet a shot at making the switch if they felt he were capable of it from a health and workload perspective.
For now, the Sox could use the extra southpaw in the bullpen after Jake Diekman posted a 7.94 ERA in 13 outings and was designated for assignment. Aaron Bummer is still with the big league club but has a 9.45 ERA so far this year. Sammy Peralta was with the Sox earlier this year but struggled in his one outing before getting optioned. Tanner Banks had a more palatable 3.38 ERA in his eight innings this year but struck out just 16.1% of opponents and also has been optioned to the minors.
White Sox Activate Jake Burger, Option Carlos Perez
According to The Athletic’s James Fegan, the White Sox activated infielder Jake Burger from the 10-day injured list today, and optioned catcher Carlos Perez to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
Burger’s return creates something of a logjam in Chicago’s infield, as the 27-year-old slugger has gotten off to a torrid start in 2023, slashing .224/.312/.612 in 23 games prior to landing on the injured list. While normally a whopping 146 wRC+ would assure any player regular playing time on a struggling club such as the White Sox, Yoan Moncada has been equally stellar so far this season with a .319/.333/.574 slash line that’s been good for a 147 wRC+.
Both Burger and Moncada are primarily third basemen by trade, though Fegan notes that manager Pedro Grifol has indicated that the third base job is Moncada’s. While both players have some experience at second base, where Hanser Alberto is currently playing while regular starter Elvis Andrus is on the injured list, Grifol notes that neither Moncada nor Burger is expected to play second base. Rather, Grifol suggests that Burger will get most of his at-bats as a DH, filling in for Eloy Jimenez while he recovers from his recent appendectomy. Beyond that, Burger will fill in at third on Moncada’s off days and also spend some time at first, where Andrew Vaughn is the primary starter.
Heading out to make room for Burger is Perez, who appeared in just three games for the White Sox to back up Seby Zavala while veteran backstop Yasmani Grandal dealt with a back injury that limited his ability to play. With Grandal seemingly ready to return to action, Perez will return to Triple-A and continue to serve as upper-level catching depth going forward.
White Sox Place Elvis Andrus On 10-Day IL, Reinstate Romy Gonzalez
The White Sox placed infielder Elvis Andrus on the 10-day injured list with a strained left oblique. Taking Andrus’ spot on the active roster is Romy Gonzalez, who returns after his own 10-day IL stint due to inflammation in his right shoulder.
The injury occurred in yesterday’s 5-1 loss to the Astros, as Andrus reported some discomfort in his side after his final at-bat of the game. Andrus was then replaced in the field for the top of the ninth, and the injury has proven troublesome enough to merit a trip to the IL. The severity of Andrus’ strain isn’t yet known, though even if Andrus has only a Grade 1 strain (the lowest level of oblique problems), he is still likely to miss at least three or four weeks of action.
It has already been a rough year for Andrus, who has hit only .201/.280/.254 over 151 plate appearances. Re-signed to a one-year, $3MM free agent deal in the offseason, Andrus was projected to be Chicago’s regular second baseman, but he has ended up getting a lot of time at his normal shortstop position due to Tim Anderson’s own stint on the IL earlier this season. Defensive utility notwithstanding, Andrus’ lack of offensive production has resulted in a -0.1 fWAR performance through his first 39 games of the season.
Lenyn Sosa saw a lot of time at the keystone when Andrus was playing shortstop, but with Sosa currently at Triple-A, Gonzalez and Hanser Alberto figure to split second base duties in Andrus’ absence. It’s not an ideal situation for a White Sox team that signed Andrus to ostensibly stabilize a longstanding hole at second base, though Alberto (a minor league signing) has at least hit .255/.304/.510 in his first 57 PA with the White Sox.
White Sox Outright Alex Colome
The White Sox announced this afternoon that veteran reliever Alex Colomé has gone unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment earlier in the week. He’s been sent outright to Triple-A Charlotte, though he’ll have the right to decline that assignment and elect minor league free agency.
Colomé’s second stint with the White Sox proved brief. He signed a minor league deal in April and was selected onto the major league roster during the first week of May. He came out of the bullpen four times, surrendering four runs (two earned) in three innings. Colomé walked three and only picked up two strikeouts before being DFA.
That brief look marked the 11th consecutive season in which Colomé reached the highest level. The right-hander pitched 47 frames for the Rockies last season, allowing a career-worst 5.74 ERA with a modest 14.9% strikeout rate. Before last season, Colomé had consistently overcome middling strikeout numbers to keep runs off the board at a quality clip, largely on the strength of strong ground-ball numbers.
The 34-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Nationals over the winter. He spent Spring Training with Washington and was granted his release after being informed he wouldn’t break camp. He’d logged eight innings for Charlotte after signing with Chicago prior to his call-up. He allowed three runs with seven strikeouts and four free passes. He’ll now decide whether to head back to Charlotte or to explore other opportunities (likely of the minor league variety) in free agency.
White Sox Could Reinstate Yoan Moncada Tomorrow
The White Sox could welcome third baseman Yoan Moncada back tomorrow, manager Pedro Grifol tells reporters, including James Fegan of The Athletic. It doesn’t seem to be confirmed yet but Moncada, who has been rehabbing with Triple-A Charlotte, won’t be playing with them tonight.
Davis Martin To Minor League Injured List With Forearm Strain
- The White Sox placed right-hander Davis Martin on the minor league injured list last week. Scott Merkin of MLB.com tweets that Martin has a forearm strain in his throwing arm. The issue’s severity isn’t clear, though forearm strains can sometimes be precursors for more serious injuries. At the very least, it seems he’ll be out of the short-term mix should the team need to tap into its rotation depth. Martin started nine of 14 MLB games last year, working to a 4.83 ERA across 63 1/3 innings. He entered 2023 as the #6 starter on the depth chart. Martin had been pitching well for Charlotte, allowing only five runs with 20 strikeouts and seven walks over 16 innings. Chicago has avoided rotation injuries at the big league level; the group of Dylan Cease, Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Michael Kopech and Mike Clevinger has taken all 38 starts thus far.
White Sox Designate Alex Colome For Assignment
The White Sox designated right-hander Alex Colome for assignment and selected the contract of outfielder Jake Marisnick from Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday, per a team announcement. Marisnick will join the active roster as fellow fleet-footed, veteran outfielder Billy Hamilton heads to the 10-day injured list due to a hamstring strain. Chicago has also recalled righty Nick Padilla from Charlotte.
Colome’s reunion with the ChiSox, for whom he closed games in 2019-20, proved to be short-lived. The 34-year-old’s contract was selected earlier this month, and he’s since tossed three innings with four runs allowed (two earned) on two hits and three walks. His 93.9 mph average fastball in that time ties a career-low from the 2021 season.
While Colome notched a pristine 2.27 ERA in 83 1/3 innings during his original run with the White Sox, there were longstanding indicators that he’d be hard-pressed to sustain that success. The right-hander had sub-par strikeout and walk rates during that two-year stretch and yielded plenty of hard contact, allowing an average of 90.2 mph off the bat. The market seemingly agreed, as despite his sharp bottom-line numbers in his run-up to free agency, Colome settled for an affordable one-year deal with the Twins late in the offseason.
The results in Minnesota were pedestrian, and Colome hasn’t found much success since. Dating back to 2021, he’s sitting on a 4.85 ERA with a 17.7% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate. His 55.1% ground-ball rate remains excellent, but the remainder of his profile hasn’t been encouraging. The White Sox will have a week to trade him or else pass him through outright or release waivers. Colome can reject an assignment to the minors even if he goes unclaimed.
Marisnick, 32, will bring a similar skill set to that of Hamilton to the White Sox. While he’s not quite as fast as Hamilton, he’s a premier defensive center fielder whose offensive shortcomings have largely outweighed his proficiency in the outfield and on the basepaths. He’s out to a nice .264/.407/.391 start in Charlotte so far this season, but over the past five big league seasons Marisnick is a .228/.285/.406 hitter.
Marisnick does have some power against lefties, and he also boasts career marks of 50 Defensive Runs Saved and 35 Outs Above Average in center field. His .224/.274/.366 career output against right-handed pitching leaves plenty to be desired, but he’s not a bad fourth outfielder if a team is comfortable limiting him to a rather strict platoon arrangement.
The Upcoming Shortstop Class Looks Increasingly Bleak
The top free agent storyline of each of the past two offseasons was the respective star-studded shortstop classes. In 2021-22, it was Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Trevor Story and Javier Báez. Last winter, Correa was back on the market again, joined by Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson.
Next winter’s group was never going to rival that previous collection. The class in general is very light on star position player talent beyond Shohei Ohtani. It’s particularly barren up the middle of the diamond. It’s hard to imagine a more complete 180° turn than how things appear to be trending with the shortstop class, though. Virtually everyone involved is off to a very slow start.
The early-season performances from the impending free agents at the position:
Amed Rosario (28)*
While Rosario is not the superstar some evaluators had anticipated during his time in the Mets’ farm system, he’d been a solid regular for two seasons since landing in Cleveland in the Francisco Lindor blockbuster. Rosario’s solid batting averages helped offset his very low walk tallies. He hit 25+ doubles with double-digit homers in both 2021-22, playing on a near everyday basis. His cumulative .282/.316/.406 batting line was almost exactly league average. Public metrics were mixed on Rosario’s defense but the Guardians have been content to keep him at shortstop despite plenty of upper minors infield talent. Only 27 and without a ton of market competition, he entered the year in position for a strong three or four-year contract.
That could still be the case but Rosario is doing himself no favors with his early performance. He’s sitting on a .217/.262/.300 showing through his first 130 plate appearances. He has just one homer and is striking out at a 29.2% clip that’d easily be the worst full-season mark of his career if it holds. After making contact on 81.3% of his swings last season, he’s putting the bat on the ball only 71.5% of the time this year. He’s also committed six errors in 255 1/3 innings after being charged with just 12 in more than 1200 frames last year. Rosario is still the top impending free agent shortstop by default but he’s struggling in all areas right now.
Javier Báez (31), can opt out of final four years and $98MM on his contract
Báez is hitting .256/.318/.376 through his first 130 plate appearances. That’s an improvement over the lackluster .238/.278/.393 line he managed during his first season in Detroit. His 16.2% strikeout rate is the lowest of his career, pushing his overall offense near league average in spite of just three home runs in 32 games. Báez’s 2023 campaign has been fine but hardly overwhelming. It’s nowhere near what it’d take for him to beat the $98MM remaining on his existing contract. He’d need a torrid summer to put himself in position to test free agency.
Enrique Hernández (32)
Hernández has been pushed into primary shortstop duty by the Red Sox’ various injuries. The early reviews from public defensive metrics aren’t favorable, with Statcast putting him at seven outs below average in 199 innings. Hernández is off to an equally slow start at the plate. He’s hitting .236/.295/.362 over 139 plate appearances on the heels of a .222/.291/.338 showing last year. He’s been a valuable super-utility option and everyday center fielder at times in his career, including a 20-homer campaign in 2021. The past year-plus hasn’t been especially impressive, though, and Hernández has yet to demonstrate he’s capable of handling shortstop regularly from a defensive standpoint.
Brandon Crawford (37)
The career-long Giant had a tough April on both sides of the ball. He’s hitting .169/.244/.352 with a personal-high 28.2% strikeout rate in 21 games. His defensive marks through 173 2/3 innings are unanimously below-average. A right calf strain sent him to the injured list last week. Even if Crawford is willing to explore all opportunities next winter after 13 seasons in San Francisco, he’ll need much better production once he returns from the IL to find any interest as a starting shortstop.
Elvis Andrus (35)
Much of what applies to Crawford is also true for Andrus. He’s a 15-year MLB veteran with a couple All-Star appearances to his name but his offense has fallen off in recent seasons. Andrus was a well below-average hitter from 2018-21. He rebounded with a solid .249/.303/.404 showing last season but still didn’t generate much free agent attention. After settling for a $3MM deal with the White Sox, he’s hitting only .208/.291/.264 in 142 plate appearances this year. Andrus hit 17 homers last season but has just one through the first six weeks.
Nick Ahmed (34)
Another glove-first veteran, Ahmed is also off to a rough start at the plate. He carries a .227/.239/.318 line over 67 plate appearances. He’s hit only one home run and walked just once. Ahmed has always been a bottom-of-the-lineup defensive specialist, but his career .235/.289/.380 slash is much more tenable than the production he’s managed thus far in 2023. He lost almost all of last season to shoulder surgery.
Gio Urshela (32)
Urshela is hitting plenty of singles to start his time in Orange County. His .303 batting average is impressive but is paired with just a .325 on-base percentage and .345 slugging mark. He’s walking at a career-low 3.3% clip and has only three extra-base hits (two doubles and a homer) in 123 plate appearances.
More concerning for teams looking to the shortstop market is Urshela’s lack of experience at the position. He’s been a third baseman for the majority of his career. Since landing with the Angels, he’s assumed a multi-positional infield role that has given him eight-plus starts at shortstop and both corner infield spots. Even if he starts hitting for more power, he’s better deployed as a versatile infielder who can moonlight at shortstop than an everyday solution there.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa (28)
Kiner-Falefa lost his starting shortstop role with the Yankees towards the end of last season. He’s been kicked into a multi-positional capacity this year and hasn’t logged a single inning at the position in 2023. While Kiner-Falefa presumably could still handle shortstop if asked, he’s contributed nothing offensively in the early going. Through 72 plate appearances, he owns a .191/.225/.206 line.
Adalberto Mondesí (28)
Mondesí is young and has flashed tantalizing tools throughout his major league career. He’s also reached base at a meager .280 clip over 358 MLB games and battled various injuries. An April 2022 ACL tear cut that season short after just 15 games. The Red Sox nevertheless acquired him from the Royals over the offseason, but he’s yet to play a game with Boston. Mondesí opened the season on the 60-day injured list and won’t make his Sox debut until at least the end of this month. There’s a chance for him to play his way into some free agent interest. He’ll need an extended stretch of health and performance.
Players With Club Options
Both Tim Anderson and Paul DeJong can hit free agency if the White Sox and Cardinals decline respective 2024 club options. That seems likely in DeJong’s case but is reflective of the .196/.280/.351 line he managed between 2020-22. If he plays well enough to warrant significant free agent interest — he has been excellent in 11 games this season, to his credit — the Cardinals would exercise their $12.5MM option and keep him off the market anyhow.
The White Sox hold a $14MM option on Anderson’s services. That looks as if it’ll be a no-brainer for Chicago to keep him around (or exercise and make him available in trade). The only way Anderson gets to free agency is if his 2023 season is decimated by injury or an uncharacteristic performance drop-off, in which case he’d be a question mark as well.
Outlook
This was never going to be a great group. It’s comprised largely of glove-first veterans in their mid-30s. Players like Andrus, Ahmed, Crawford and José Iglesias — who’ll also hit free agency and has bounced around on minor league deals thus far in 2023 — don’t tend to be priority targets. That opened the door for the likes of Rosario, Báez and a potentially healthy Mondesí — younger players who have shown some offensive upside — to separate themselves from the pack in a way they wouldn’t have the last couple winters. No one has seized the mantle to this point. While there are still more than four months for someone to emerge, the early returns on the shortstop class aren’t promising.
*age for the 2024 season
