Sox Machine: Chicago White Sox blog

Konerko back, Ozuna DFA'd

The press release:


And Joe Cowley is shocked:


Maybe by reporting it early, he thought it wouldn't happen.

At any rate, Ozuna is the team's third-best pinch runner, as he's 0-for-2 stealing bases this year and was thrown out by a laughably large margin the last time.  He's also 0-for-3 as a pinch hitter and 0-for-6 over the last two and a half seasons.  Uribe has as many pinch hits this season (three) as Ozuna does since 2005.

Uribe can also play all three(?) infield positions far better than Ozuna.  It's true he can't play the outfield, but with Nick Swisher, Brian Anderson, Dewayne Wise and Alexei Ramirez, I'm not sure how many more backup left fielders the team needs.

Ozuna on his way out? (updated)

Joe Cowley twitters:


Before getting too excited, let's not forget another tweet that went awry:


And of course, nobody lost their job.  Cowley is being more vague here by not mentioning Ozuna's job at all -- so perhaps he's channeling Ed Glosser: Trivial Psychic:



Pablo Ozuna will buy a magazine for the flight to Kansas City.  He will read only part of it, and put it in the pocket of the seat in front of him to save for later.  But he will forget about it when deboarding the plane. 

He will have to buy another copy.

***********************

That's one of three personnel issues the Sox currently have on their hands.

The second is Paul Konerko, who is set to give the Sox an infusion of slow after finishing his rehab stint in Charlotte healthy and hitting, going 6-for-11 with two doubles and six walks over four games.

The other is Bobby Jenks, who had "a little setback" dealing with tightness in his upper back, leaving his status for the upcoming road trip in Kansas City and Texas unclear.

If Jenks doesn't go on the DL, then Ozuna's DFA would simply open a spot for Konerko.  However, if Jenks goes on the DL, then the situation gets murkier.

My first instinct is to say that Ozuna wouldn't be DFA'd if Jenks' absence opens up a spot.  It wouldn't seem Sox-like to cut a guy getting guaranteed money unnecessarily, and if Konerko is back at first, that means Dewayne Wise is the primary pinch runner and Ozuna's spot won't make an impact through the All-Star Break regardless.

It is possible, though, that the Sox might part ways with Ozuna even if the 25-man roster isn't at capacity.  In that case, my guess is Ehren Wassermann would be the most likely candidate for promotion in order to give Ozzie Guillen his seven-man bullpen, though I would prefer to see what Jason Bourgeois could do.

***********************

I'm not as down on Konerko's return as some people:


And there are a couple more along the same lines, including one from good ol' Downers Grove.  I'm not sure if you would call me ultimately optimistic or pessimistic, but I'm encouraged about the prospect of a Konerko Komeback for two reasons:

No. 1:  Brian Anderson isn't that good, and Dewayne Wise probably isn't, either.

Anderson had a great game Saturday, but he gives plenty of reminders that he's a .230 hitter over the course of a game, whether it's dropping to one knee or the distinctive two-part upper-body motion that makes it look like he's a Gashouse Gorilla or forgot to take the donut off his bat.

Wise, meanwhile, hasn't done anything wrong at the plate -- on the basepaths and in the outfield sure, but it's hard to top his 38 percent line drive percentage, which is roughly double the league average and 10 percent higher than the major-league leader.*  He definitely has some regressing to the mean in store, and if he falls back all the way to his career averages, then he belongs in the land of Luis Terrero, Timo Perez and all the other former Sox fourth-outfielders currently toiling in Triple-A.

No. 2:  Don't discount the effect of a hand injury on a power hitter.

Tadahito Iguchi battled a bad thumb for the first two months last year, then finally got over it and hit well shortly before his trade.  Nomar Garciaparra was a completely different hitter after taking a fastball to his hand.  Those are just two examples that immediately came to mind, and I don't think either had to use foam to grip the bat.

If his hand has healed, I'm convinced he'll rebound to be a valuable member of the lineup.  Of all the Sox's aging power hitters, he's the most inclined to use the opposite field.

I'm not saying Wise should be demoted to pinch runner when Konerko returns.  By all means, ride out his hot streak until he hits the wall and cycle Konerko back into the lineup at first and DH in place of Jim Thome.  But getting a healthy Konerko enough plate appearances to work him back toward effectiveness should take precedence over a 30-year-old career minor leaguer having a terrific 40 at-bats.

***********************

Two other notes:

*Melissa Isaacson's profile of Carlos Quentin is a whole lotta heartwarming goodness, but this passage needs a photo with it:


*U.S. Cellular Field hosted the first Double Duty Classic, which I think is an awesome idea.  The Trib has a photo gallery.

***********************

Minor league roundup:

• Charlotte 7, Rochester 3
• Lance Broadway threw a quality start, allowing three runs on nine hits over six innings; no walks, five strikeouts.
• D.J. Carrasco threw three scoreless innings, and has allowed just two runs over his last 14.
• Paul Konerko went 2-for-4; Jason Bourgeois hit a solo homer.
• Cole Armstrong went 3-for-4 with two RBI, and is 17-for-32 in Triple-A thus far.
• Huntsville 9, Birmingham 2
• Lee Cruz and Victor Mercedes each hit solo homers; Robert Hudson had two hits.
• Carlos Torres pitched three innings, allowing three runs (two earned).
  
• Fernando Hernandez threw two shutout innings.
• Kinston 14, Winston-Salem 3 (Game 1, 7 innings)
• Josh Fields went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
• John Ely ended up with an ugly line: 1 1/3 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 HR
• Brandon Allen had two hits, including a double, and an RBI.
• Winston-Salem 3, Kinston 2 (Game 2, 7 innings)
• Josh Fields went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored.
• Clevelan Santeliz struck out seven over five solid innings, allowing one run on three hits.
• Columbus 7, Kannapolis 5
• Eduardo Escobar went 3-for-4 with three runs scored.
• Brent Morel was promoted from rookie ball a couple days ago, but had his first two hits today.
  
• Mark Fleischer homered and drove in three more runs.
• Also recently promoted, Charlis Burdie struck out two over a hitless inning.
• Bristol OFF
• Great Falls OFF