White Sox’s stars return from IL; supporting cast changes

(Jordan Johnson/USA TODAY Sports)

The White Sox made a slew of roster moves this morning as they get set to open a three-game series with the Angels at home, which precedes a 11-game, 10-day road trip through Dallas, Detroit and Cleveland. Some moves were expected and are celebrated, but the White Sox also made a couple of swaps that weren’t necessarily in the plans.

The overview:

  • Reinstated Lucas Giolito from the 10-day injured list;
  • Reinstated Tim Anderson from the 10-day injured list;
  • Recalled Zack Collins from Charlotte;
  • Placed Andrew Vaughn on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to Sept. 10) with lower back inflammation;
  • Optioned Seby Zavala to Charlotte;
  • Optioned Danny Mendick to Charlotte

Lucas Giolito and Tim Anderson are the pleasant non-surprises, as Tony La Russa foreshadowed the return of both for this series. Anderson sounds like he’ll require careful management for his case of Vague Leg ….

“The key is his legs are such a critical part of his game,” La Russa said. “Whether it’s defense or offense, he tweaked it one time before and it was the same so we were being very super careful with it.” […]

“Going to be even more careful with Tim because of his legs, hamstrings, for one thing. It will probably resemble something like spring training.”

… but on the plus side, that could create more opportunities for Leury García to continue imitating an All-Star shortstop.

Giolito sounded optimistic about his hamstring being a minor inconvenience at the time he tweaked it, and his return jibes with that prognosis. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him limited to five innings and 70ish pitches the way Carlos Rodón and Lance Lynn have operated. What we’re left to learn is whether Giolito would be capable of returning to normal workloads after being reintroduced to the rotation, or whether his leg would have to be maintained and monitored like Rodón’s shoulder and Lynn’s knee.

Then it gets a little murkier.

Andrew Vaughn‘s leg issues are no longer unclear, and the fact that his lower back is the body part in question makes his strict unavailability over the last few days all the more understandable. It also might explain his lack of multi-hit games since Aug. 18.

However, the specification of a back injury now has me remembering this diving catch on last Wednesday, the second-to-last game he appeared in.

Zack Collins is back, which isn’t surprising in and of itself. The White Sox probably planned on recalling Collins within 20 days so he didn’t lose his last option year. What’s surprising is that he’s a direct replacement for Seby Zavala, rather than a third catcher.

I’ve made the argument that Collins is a better second catcher on a postseason roster than Zavala because neither would be expected to catch, and Collins is a better bet for not making an out off the bench. For the rest of the regular season, the best thing about this move is that it’s an endorsement for the stability of Yasmani Grandal’s knee.

And then there’s Danny Mendick, who was last seen striking out with runners on the corners in the 10th inning of the White Sox’s loss to Boston on Saturday, pinch-hitting because of Vaughn’s injury. With Anderson back, there’s less of a need for Mendick on an emergency basis, and with a line of .220/.303/.287 this year, there’s no real argument for his bat in any situation.

Mendick’s optioning is a small vote of confidence for Romy Gonzalez, who is 3-for-16 with a double and eight strikeouts during his first exposure to MLB pitching. If he’s getting the preference for last-man-on-the-bench work in September, it stands to reason that he might also be ahead of Mendick when it comes to the White Sox’s 2022 utility options.

Though the White Sox made six moves, they didn’t resolve all the questions. With Vaughn on the injured list and Adam Engel not yet finished with a rehab stint that has been a little bit uneven due to scheduling, there’s a question of whether the White Sox will have one of their two right-handed candidates for right field before the end of the season. That could be another reason why Gonzalez is still on this roster, even though García would be freed up for that kind of work as well.

UPDATE: The White Sox added Ryan Tepera to the injured list in a separate move hours later, recalling Jace Fry from Charlotte to take his place.

(Photo by Jordan Johnson/USA TODAY Sports)

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loch

My son is 9, and just became interested in baseball. I took him to see the Sox in Detroit (the infamous Billy Hamilton dive, inside the park home run game). After Collins finished warming up with Kuechel, he tossed the ball to my son.

Long story to say that being a dad complicates my view of these roster moves. I know that Collins is not currently cut out for longevity in the majors, but I want him to succeed for my kid.

Here’s to hoping he figures it out.

joewho112

My daughter’s first game (at least first game as a non-infant) was a game where Adam Engel hit his first HR. Little else happened in the game so she walked away as Adam Engel’s #1 fan. I was equally worried about her getting attached to a guy who was the Sox’s 4th choice to start in CF that year but it is sort of working out.

Trooper Galactus

These stories make me think of the kid who was a Brent Lillibridge fan and cried when they traded him.

asinwreck

Chicago magazine just published a great profile of Jason Benetti by Peter Sagal. I could quote it at copyright-infringing lengths to give insights into the team’s PBP announcer, but this snippet serves to highlight his talent:

Kevin Brown, his former minor-league broadcast partner who now handles play-by-play for the Baltimore Orioles, says, “Jason has a way of finding out what makes people tick and drawing the best out of them. I am convinced that you could drop JB into a booth with a mime and he would make that mime a better analyst.” As proof: Any casual viewer of White Sox games can see that Steve Stone is funnier, smarter, more engaged, and simply happier than he ever was during his long years trying to get a word in edgewise with Hawk Harrelson. He’s also a better analyst. Steve himself agrees. “He asks me questions!” Steve says, delighted. “Sometimes, he’ll just ask me, ‘Why?’ ”

Last edited 2 years ago by asinwreck
Root Cause

Thanks for sharing the link. 2021 has proven we have to share Jason. I just hope we don’t lose him.

Last edited 2 years ago by Root Cause
joewho112

This. The distinguishing feature of late stage Hawk was copious amounts of dead air

Root Cause

In Hawk’s defense, Steve never seemed that interested in golf.

LamarJohnson

Benetti and Stone are by far our best “Nationwide is on our side” a cappella performers.

MileHiJoe

Really good article, wonder which AAA player Benetti was referencing in the National hamburger day story.

David

The last is a point that had never occurred to me — having a non-player in the booth is an advantage, because they’ll ask questions about things an ex-player would take for granted.

GrinnellSteve

Didn’t Vin Scully always work with a mime?

jhomeslice

Horrible news. I did not even know he was sick.

One of my favorite comedians. His irreverent and totally unpredictable, off the wall humor and delivery made him a favorite among fellow comedians. One of those guys that you watched just to see what he would say next.

His last appearance on Letterman was very funny and touching. On youtube for those who have not seen. Man, sad to hear the news of someone passing who provided so many laughs. Some comedians are almost like friends to me in that sense. He was one of them. RIP Norm.

Greg Nix

Great point. I’m glad he didn’t become a crusader against cancel culture, or some such nonsense.

Trooper Galactus

There was a great story related by the reporter who Favre sent dick-pics to. I guess Norm approached her about doing a spoof of the situation (which she admitted would have been hilarious), and she turned him down at the time because she just didn’t feel like she was past it. He was respectful of her position but advised her to own it with humor so that it didn’t own her. In retrospect, she said she wished she had taken his advice.

As Cirensica

Hope he recovers…from the players traded on the deadline, Tepera is the only one with a fWAR greater than 0 with an actually impressive 0.5 fWAR is mere 16 innings and a quiet 1.6 for the season.

LamarHoyt_oncrack

I don’t know how bad a laceration it is, but unless it’s something terrible, it should heal in a reasonable timeframe and is a lot better than an arm our shoulder issue.

Well, if he needs rest… he will get some. Hope Cease gets a rest as well, he might need it.

Trooper Galactus

It didn’t require stitches, so that’s good. So long as he doesn’t futz around with the scab it shouldn’t take much more than the 10-day IL stint for him to be ready.