Pregame notes: While the White Sox were out of sight

It's been four whole days since a White Sox spring training game was broadcast in any form, and judging by what we could see from Friday's 6-0 shutout of the Diamondbacks, it was one day too long, as there were a number of noteworthy performances from players who could stand to plant a flag this month.

On the pitching side, Anthony Kay, Tanner McDougal and Noah Schultz posted a combined line of 8.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K, with Brandon Eisert recording the final two outs. Both McDougal and Schultz filled the zone, with the former averaging 98.7 mph with his fastball, and the latter getting called or swinging strikes on 11 of 25 pitches.

Characteristic of this time of year, they were rewarded for their performances with cuts from major league camp today. With starting pitchers preparing to work four innings in their next starts, there aren't enough Cactus League games for everybody to continue stretching out.

Meanwhile, two outfielders showed out, with Chuck Garfien there to provide footage. Here's Jarred Kelenic with his first spring homer:

And here's George Wolkow taking advantage of a Statcast setting to post a 120.7 mph exit velocity on a single through the right side:

Granted, it's not as impressive if these monster EVs are directed downward, but when Wolkow posted a staggering .437 BABIP for Kannapolis in 2024, this is the sort of unplayable grounder that helps compensate for the strikeouts.

In other news:

The White Sox agreed to terms with everybody except Miguel Vargas

On Thursday, the White Sox made their typical February announcement declaring all members of the 40-man roster under contract, albeit with one atypical detail. They agreed to terms with 31 of the 32 players who aren't yet eligible for arbitration, while they merely renewed the contract of Miguel Vargas.

There's a distinction between the two -- agreeing confers agreement between the parties, while renewal implies a salary imposed by the club, in this case a repeat of what Vargas earned last year.

In my incomplete record of official press releases, I can't find the last time the White Sox identified such a disagreement, at least among players who weren't arb-eligible. Vargas doesn't reach three years of service time until next season.

While Vargas' situation is a rare occurrence for the White Sox, it's not the only such case this spring. Jonah Tong also had his contract renewed by the Mets, and The Athletic's Will Sammon detailed how small proposed raises can be:

For pre-arbitration players, clubs use formulas to come up with salary figures. The calculations differ from club to club. They often involve WAR and service time accruals and could also include traditional statistics.

The Mets initially wanted to pay Tong $781,000, league sources said. After the figure was rejected, the club intends to pay Tong the league minimum, which is $1,000 less.

The White Sox's cuts so far

McDougal and Schultz comprised the White Sox's second round of cuts. Thursday brought the first reduction in ranks, as Duncan Davitt was optioned to Charlotte, while nine non-roster players were reassigned to minor league camp:

• Mason Adams
• Adisyn Coffey
• Tyler Davis
• Tim Elko
• Zach Franklin
• Jacob Gonzalez
• Jairo Iriarte
• Shane Murphy
• Michael Turner

There are no real surprises here considering the crowded nature of the competition for a spot on the 13-man pitching staff, and the number of out-of-options players who are walling off the roster from most insurgent campaigns in general.

The White Sox still have 55 players in camp, although five players are currently participating in the World Baseball Classic, and another handful are working their way back through injury.

Now let's talk about those, starting with...

World Baseball Classic updates

A quick look at WBC stats:

Munetaka Murakami: 2-for-7 with a walk, two strikeouts and a stolen base against Chinese Taipei and Korea.

Curtis Mead: 4-for-8 with a homer and a strikeout, facing Chinese Taipei and Czechia. Considering he went homerless with only eight doubles over 132 plate appearances with the White Sox last year, it's worth seeing what it looks like when he gets into one, even if it's still in another team's uniform.

Seranthony Domínguez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K versus Nicaragua.

Team Italy's WBC journey started this afternoon against Brazil. Kyle Teel is in the lineup, but Sam Antonacci isn't.

Injury updates

The return from Wednesday's off day brought a mixed bag of health news:

That's good: After a delayed start, Drew Thorpe saw mound action for the first time this spring, throwing a 20-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday, and saying he felt normal about it on Thursday.

That's bad: David Sandlin has yet to appear in spring action, with Will Venable saying he's been dealing with a back issue.

“Early on, there was some back stuff when we got him that he just hadn’t had the [bullpen sessions] up front, so he’s been up on the slower game plan here,” Venable said. “Just building him up slowly and giving him time to work everything out.”

That's unclear: Everson Pereira has something resembling a timetable in his return from an oblique issue, as Venable said, "We are looking next week to get him out there if he continues to progress."

First Pitch: White Sox at Mariners

This is the last of the 2:05/2:10 p.m. CT starts for a while, as clocks turn ahead in the Midwest overnight, but not in Arizona.

Watch: CHSN

Lineups: