The Jarrod Dyson trade is official, and in order to make room for one left-handed outfielder, they had to remove one apiece from each of their rosters.
On the 40-man, Nicky Delmonico has been designated for assignment for the second time this season.
On the 28-man, the White Sox shifted Luis González back to the team's alternate training site in Schaumburg.
González won't be the only one taking the Kennedy. Zack Collins is also heading the Schaumburg, as the White Sox optioned their third catcher in order to reinstate Nick Madrigal from the injured list.
Collins' optioning is only surprising in that Rick Renteria seemed to enjoy the flexibility a third catcher provided. Managers are usually reluctant to throw both of their catchers in the same lineup because one foul tip can leave them hanging, but with Collins on the bench, Renteria used Yasmani Grandal and James McCann in the same lineup for seven of the team's 31 games.
But while Collins' presence allowed a couple of his teammates to play more, the benefits didn't trickle down his way. He went just 1-for-16 with two walks and five strikeouts over nine games, only four of which were starts. That said, his only start behind the plate resulted in a win that Dane Dunning started, so he didn't gum up the works. Further Dancing for Dubs will have to wait.
It's a little unusual that the White Sox didn't make a similar position-for-position swap regarding Madrigal, because Ryan Goins' utility is further limited by the presence of Dyson. Seven of Goins' 13 appearances have been in the form of a pinch runner, and Dyson's better at that. Perhaps the Sox think there's more value in extra infield bodies for the time being, what with Madrigal's post-injury effectiveness unknown, and with everybody holding their breath every time Yoán Moncada runs full speed.
Madrigal's return is welcome, but it's nice that it's not desperately needed. In fact, there's now a little pressure on him to uphold the standards.
When Madrigal separated his shoulder back on Aug. 4 against Milwaukee, the Sox sagged as though they lost a structural necessity, losing five of six before Dallas Keuchel's intervention. They recovered to go 12-8 during Madrigal's absence, and Madrigal's replacement is one reason why.
Danny Mendick hit .290/.324/.493 with seven extra-base hits over 74 plate appearances (three homers, a triple, three doubles) after Madrigal departed with an injury. He more or less replaced Madrigal's average (.294) and OBP (.333) while adding 200 points of slugging (.294).
Madrigal has the edge in defense, particularly the speed with which double plays are turned. If he can hold that .333 OBP, he's quite useful at the bottom of a complete White Sox batting order, setting the table for the guys above him. In a lineup where Moncada isn't himself and the second spot is less dynamic, Mendick contributed to the White Sox's "offense from anywhere" potential, which helped offset their still troublesome teamwide plate discipline.
I'm guessing it's not a strict choice between the second basemen at this juncture, because Mendick will probably be needed to shore up third base. Helping Renteria avoid starting Goins is its own big contribution, even if Mendick's regular playing time is cut off. For the time being, Mendick did plenty with his big opportunity, so much so that should another batch of starts open up for him, it might not actually feel like bad news.
(Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire)
