Thumbs down: Leury García’s surgery damaging to White Sox depth chart

Before he injured his thumb with an ill-advised dive into first base, Leury García had spent the bulk of August showing his value in the form of a Tim Anderson’s understudy. He hit .306/.352/.417 in the nine games Anderson missed with a groin injury, throwing in decent glovework at no added cost to the viewer.

Had he remained healthy through Anderson’s return, he would have likely slid over to second to help out Danny Mendick. He also probably would have appeared in right field as a defensive replacement for Nomar Mazara, and maybe an offensive replacement given enough time.

Instead, the White Sox will have to find backups for their primary backup at all these positions. The White Sox moved García to the 45-day injured list Saturday morning as part of a cluster of roster moves. The White Sox said he severed a ligament in his left thumb and will need surgery to correct the issue. He’d theoretically be able to return if the White Sox played into October, but after getting swept by the long-dormant Cardinals in Saturday’s doubleheader, any postseason talk warrants the Jim Mora response at the moment.

If García were the first White Sox to hit the shelf in 2020, his absence might have gone undetected. As the actual order of injuries unfolded, his absence deals the White Sox a unique blow in mid-August. While Rick Renteria’s quotes on paper read as standard next-man-up fare, James Fegan included the tone in his write-up:

It’s that history that spliced into the hint of frustration in Renteria’s answer about García’s injury in Monday’s loss in Detroit, revealing they had talked to García about the perils of head-first sliding before he dived into first base at Comerica Park and severed a ligament in his left thumb to end his regular season, as an MRI would later reveal. García is out until at least October.

“I guess we’re going to have to figure it out,” Renteria said Saturday. “It’s a big loss for us because he was so flexible and capable of doing so much.”

Any irritation is understandable, because Renteria will have to proceed without his security blanket at four positions for the remainder of the season.

SECOND BASE

The hope was that Anderson’s return would free up García to help Danny Mendick at second base until Nick Madrigal can return from his separated shoulder injury (and maybe beyond, if Madrigal’s shoulder saps his already limited ability to drive the ball).

Instead, Mendick will get the opportunity of his dreams, and not a moment too soon, considering he’ll turn 27 the day after the regular season ends. His at-bats are the team’s most watchable when it comes to swinging and taking pitches, but there’s a substantial chance MLB pitchers will reduce his output to impotent grounders to the left side and 88 mph flies to the right side. It was a lot nicer when Mendick’s adequacy was a bonus, not a necessity.

PERTINENT: Danny Mendick has the White Sox’s only good approach right now

SHORTSTOP

The impetus is on Anderson to keep his groin happy. Stop laughing. If that body part or any other one fails him, Mendick probably slides over to short, which leaves Ryan Goins to be the glove-first second baseman. Goins already followed the template for short-lived emergency success last year …

• July: .324/.432/.595 over 44 PA
• August: .250/.327/.295 over 99 PA
• September: .105/.150/.105 over 20 PA

… and the White Sox probably figured he ran his course when they non-tendered him after the season. That said, they appreciated him enough to ditch Cheslor Cuthbert for him when Oakland cut him loose in mid-July, but hold that thought.

THIRD BASE

Since his three-hit game in the opener against Milwaukee on Aug. 3, Moncada’s actions have grown increasingly labored. He’s still good for getting on base once a game, but it’s almost more out of a sense of obligation than an ability to take charge of a game. His throws across the diamond have lacked pop, often tailing to the home plate side of first. He’s 7-for-40 with a homer, a double, two walks and 14 strikeouts over his last 42 plate appearances.

To sum up that paragraph in three words: He’s dragging ass. That’s not necessarily a judgment, because he’s the team’s only confirmed COVID-19 case. Between the recovery and all the training time he lost in the process, it’s hard to say what kind of shape he’s truly in. However it’s happening, everything he’s doing is underpowered.

Renteria gave Moncada a day off before the scheduled day off, which then turned into a three-day break as the White Sox and Cardinals rearranged their weekend. The break didn’t pay immediate dividends, as Moncada went 0-for-5 with a walk and two strikeouts over the doubleheader.

If this version of Moncada is going to hover around the team for a good chunk of this season, he doesn’t do much to help. But the same can be said for Cuthbert, who hit .232/.287/.350 over his last three stints with the Royals, and without an impact glove to offset any offensive woes. Goins can stand here as well, and now Yermín Mercedes is technically an option under powers granted by the Desperate Times Act.

CENTER FIELD

Between Luis Robert and Adam Engel, the White Sox have two options with something to offer at this position. García hadn’t played an inning in center this season because of that newfound depth, and probably wouldn’t be counted upon to do so. Consider this segment a mental rest stop.

RIGHT FIELD

Now back to your regularly scheduled doldrums.

The acquisition of Mazara was supposed to limit García’s utility in right field. Breakout or not, Mazara would get the time to show the White Sox whether he could improve upon his frustrating profile before they made grander plans for the remaining corner outfield spot.

Well, Mazara’s hitting .160/.344/.240 over his first 10 games with the White Sox, and like Moncada, it’s not necessarily damning of his abilities. He missed the last week of training camp and the first nine games of the season for a mystery ailment he later identified as strep throat, and his timing is lacking as a result.

I’ve been more surprised and alarmed by how heavy his feet have looked in right field, the most recent example being this Max Schrock single that started the Cardinals’ four-run fifth in the Saturday’s second game.

A better right fielder doesn’t necessarily make that catch. Statcast gave it an expected batting average of .330 despite (or because of) its unimpressive exit velocity (70.6) and launch angle (43 degrees). Still, start to finish, Mazara’s actions were a kind of slow I didn’t anticipate seeing from him, even if I knew that he wasn’t any sort of defensive stalwart with Texas. Perhaps Statcast’s sprint speed isn’t capturing a representative sample at the moment, but what it’s saying about Mazara so far is scary.

• 2017: 27.0 ft/s
• 2018: 26.8 ft/s
• 2019: 26.5 ft/s
• 2020: 24.7 ft/s

I’ve set a reminder on my phone alongside some other chores to check this stat later in the week, because I don’t know how stable this is. This version of Mazara is a nonentity, and while he’ll get a chance to play into shape, the circumstances are such that the White Sox have to be prepared for his season to be a wash.

What’s the backup plan? Well, it was going to be a crude platoon of García and Adam Engel that would provide defensive utility, even if you didn’t buy Engel’s hot start. Without García, Rick Renteria probably has to risk overexposing Engel, just when everything seemed to beautifully set up to avoid relying on him. If he requires a left-handed caddy, these roads lead to Nicky Delmonico.

PERTINENT: White Sox miss out on Nomar Mazara’s trial period

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The toll of García’s absence is staggering, at least for a guy who wouldn’t be starting in a standard, non-idealized version of the White Sox lineup. A healthy Madrigal and a fully functioning Mazara would relegate García to the bench for most of a week, and few would clamor for more.

As it happened, the White Sox suffered injuries or illness at all four of García’s primary positions. Anderson seems like he’s out of the woods, but Moncada and Mazara aren’t inspiring a whole lot of confidence, which is especially perilous when their secondary utility guy is already pressed into everyday duty at second base.

The burgeoning crisis is partially indicative of García’s unique value. It’s not easy to be a jack-of-all-trades who can cover the up-the-middle positions, and it’s not easy to be offensively useful with a 7-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, but he pulls it off with a smile. It’s also a byproduct of a season without the minor leagues. Proper rehab stints aren’t possible, and overachieving emergency solutions are even harder for a team like the White Sox to cultivate. I’d also mention the Sox’s issues with producing their own average players, although off-the-radar stories like Mendick and Tyler Saladino suggest that they’re decent with developing infielders of some use.

The White Sox can exercise a $3.25 million option for García in 2021. He signed the strange extension to avoid a Yolmer Sánchez situation in his final year of arbitration, and even if this hand injury threatens how power further, this erosion of their depth chart will probably automate their decision to retain him. At this rate, they might bring Sánchez back as well.

(Photo of Leury García surviving a previous dive into first base by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire)

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