White Sox place Leury García on IL as Elvis Andrus becomes available
Leury García started stumbling over on his swings again Monday, reopening the question of how long he could continue playing without a base.
The White Sox finally answered that question with “today” by putting him on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain. They recalled Romy González from Charlotte, and he’ll get the start tonight.
García, who had been playing closer to acceptable shortly before Tim Anderson went on the injured list last week, had been showing visible discomfort just as he assumed the starting role at shortstop. He tweaked something during the first at-bat of the second game of the doubleheader against the Royals on Aug. 9, and he spent the rest of the game buckling after every subsequent swing.
The injury limited García to two starts over the past week, but once he resumed falling over on Monday, the Sox probably determined that they couldn’t rest him through it.
Alas, Lenyn Sosa is just 4-for-34 with one walk and 11 strikeouts in his place, along with some shaky defense. He doesn’t quite look ready for the majors, which is understandable given that he’s 22 with little experience at Triple-A.
In the meantime, they’re calling up González, who would’ve been the first choice among Charlotte utility infielders had he not been hamstrung by hamstring issues and a tonsillectomy for most of the year. A month and a half on the injured list seems to have finally given him the time to heal up on both fronts. He crushed ACL pitching during a rehab stint, and he’s back to playing everyday with Charlotte, although he’s just 3-for-25 with a homer, double and nine strikeouts in his first six games back with the Knights.
The situation is a cry for help, and a fresh possibility emerged on the open market when the Oakland Athletics released Elvis Andrus.
The A’s didn’t cut him for performance reasons. He’s hitting .237/.301/.373 over 106 games. Combine it with his average defense at short, and it’s been good for a 1.3 bWAR and 1.6 fWAR. He’s got a higher OPS in the second half (.767) than the first (.651), so it’s not like there’s a recent, sudden loss of skills.
So why did the A’s release him? Probably the vesting option, which would guarantee him $15 million for 2023 if he reaches 550 plate appearances, and 386 to date puts him within striking distance. Because Andrus has been released rather than DFA’d, any new team would only have to pay him the prorated league minimum on a new contract for the rest of the year, and MLB Trade Rumors says the team signing him would not be on the hook for that option.
The White Sox would appear to be a mutually agreeable fit. Andrus would give them an adequate front-line starter (especially given the circumstances) during García’s absence, and a great time-sharing candidate if García can somehow get his legs back, with Sosa and/or González returning to Triple-A to resume their development. The White Sox would give Andrus the playing time and the stage for his next opportunity, wherever it may be.
It makes so much sense that I’d be surprised if it didn’t happen, so here’s hoping there isn’t a Michael Conforto-like injury issue that hasn’t yet been made public.
I doubt Andrus is injured. Oakland would just put him on the IL and slow-walk his return to avoid the vesting option then, releasing an vet for being injured would be a low blow even for their cheapskate ways. He also played yesterday and hit a homer.
It wouldn’t make much sense. I believe releasing him means the A’s are on the hook to pay him this year and an IL stint was prevent the option from vesting. So this only makes sense as a humanitarian move to let him go to a competitor.
Yeah, pretty much. I’m a little worried abt the Sox nabbing him tho, bc the Yankees, Rays, and Astros could also all use him, to varying degrees.
That is the problem. Have to assume he will have choices. Sox have a clear starting role, for the time being. But a couple of those others could free up some playing time and offer a clear route to the post-season
So Romy has one game to prove he belongs. Life comes at you fast lol.
For those who plan to include a “front office shakeup” section in their offseason plans, Jon Daniels is now available.
Getting Andrus on board is just perfect considering the circumstances. That it hasn’t happened yet has to be because Andrus has received various offers already and he is taking a day or two to make a decision. Not even Hahn can miss this opportunity
I’m sure the offer is on the table. But beyond offering him a month or so as the starting SS and having Harrison work his charms, I believe there isn’t anything Hahn is allowed to do re his contract to ensure that Andrus comes here vs say NYY.
Picking up Andrus makes a lot of sense for the Sox.
So, I’m gonna forget about it happening.
“a great time sharing candidate if Garcia can somehow get his legs back”. Andrus is pretty much better than Garcia in every way, every day of the week. No need to share time except in the eyes of our nitwit manager, who of course would never sit Garcia in favor of anyone.
and speaking of released guys who should be looked at, what about David Dahl – faded #10 prospect who bats lefty, plays the outfield and has hit well in triple-a the past 2 years. seems worth a flyer
Amazing that Garcia is so bad that when he gets hurt, guys on waivers are an improvement.