The White Sox have signed outfielder Wynton Bernard to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He’s been assigned to Triple-A Charlotte for now but may get an invitation to major league Spring Training.
Bernard, now 33, has a small amount of major league experience, having played 12 games for the Rockies in 2022. But he was outrighted at the end of that campaign and wasn’t able to get back to the majors in 2023.
He started the year with the Blue Jays on a minor league deal and played 60 games for their Triple-A club before getting released in June. He then signed another minor league deal, this one returning him to the Rockies organization, which led to 66 more Triple-A games. Between the two orgs, he slashed .302/.375/.443 in his 571 plate appearances. He only hit 11 home runs but his 9.8% walk rate and 18% strikeout rate were both strong. His combined 104 wRC+ for the year indicates he was a bit better than league average overall.
He stole 41 bases on the year, the third time in his career he had swiped that many bags in one season. He also lined up at all three outfield positions, which he has done all throughout his minor league career.
The Sox have Andrew Benintendi and Luis Robert Jr. in two outfield spots. The latter has been in some trade rumors but he’s a long shot to actually be moved. Right field is more questionable since Óscar Colás had a rough season in 2023. The club also sacrificed some depth pieces in recent weeks, with each of Tyler Naquin, Trayce Thompson, Clint Frazier and Adam Haseley having been cut from the roster since early October.
Bernard will give the club a bit of non-roster depth that can play anywhere on the grass with the potential to provide some speed on the basepaths. If he gets a roster spot at any point, he still has two options and just a few weeks of service time.