Remember when the White Sox opened the season with rookie Oscar Colas as their starting right fielder in the middle of an alleged contention window?
Yes, that was a major mistake, and it's the type of misstep that contributes to a general manager's firing. Indeed, former general manager Rick Hahn is fired.
But while Hahn is gone, Colas remains in the organization. However, the 24-year-old Cuban outfielder's future is in doubt after he was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte for the second time this season before Monday's game against the Kansas City Royals was postponed.
Colas got off to a brutal start in April. He was sent to Charlotte the first week of May, after batting .211/.265/.276 over the season's first month.
He was brought back to Chicago on July 4. Since then, he's batting .219/.253/.331. His on-base percentage is actually lower in this bigger sample, and while we've seen a slight increase in slugging, no one is excited about four home runs and seven doubles over a two-month period from a player whose power is supposed to be his carrying tool.
The Sox are 19-47 in the 66 games Colas has started this season, and he's weighing down the team with more than just poor offense.
Colas has been called out multiple times by manager Pedro Grifol for his poor decision-making in the outfield. On Sunday, he threw to third base on a single to right, failing to retire a Detroit runner who was headed to third, and allowing the batter to take an extra 90 feet into second base. On a later play, Colas nearly decapitated second baseman Elvis Andrus on a collision in shallow right, turning what should have been an out into a double.
This comes on the heels of a big mistake in the bottom of the ninth inning last Tuesday in Kansas City, when Colas threw to second base on a play where he needed to throw the ball toward home. The Sox eventually lost that game in walk-off fashion.
A lot of fans are very angry about the demotion of Colas, believing the Sox are bullying a younger player.
But guess what? Colas isn't a big leaguer. Nobody likes his .571 OPS, but with the team out of the race, you could live with that if the player were correcting his mistakes and showing competence in other facets of the game.
Unfortunately, Colas is a poor hitter, a bad baserunner and an even worse defender. He should not have been the right fielder at the start of the season. He should not be the right fielder now, and he should not be the right fielder at the start of next season either.
As Sox fans, we've been screaming about the need for more accountability. Well, here's some accountability for a player. Good. Now apply the same standards to the more veteran players on the team, who have been dogging it far too often.
The Sox need to make more decisions like this.
Catcher Carlos Perez is taking Colas' spot on the roster. The Sox also optioned pitcher Edgar Navarro to Triple-A Charlotte and recalled pitcher Deivi Garcia.
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