White Sox continue to have weakness in right field

Before Monday's game against the Los Angeles Angels, the White Sox made a swap of bench players. They optioned infielder Jose Rodriguez to Double-A Birmingham and recalled outfielder Adam Haseley from Triple-A Charlotte.

The Rodriguez move makes sense. The 22-year-old was called up June 19, but he only appeared in one game -- as a pinch runner. Given that manager Pedro Grifol apparently had no intention of using him, Rodriguez is better off getting regular at-bats in Birmingham and continuing his development.

But why recall Haseley? The 27-year-old appeared in 26 games with the Sox earlier this season and slashed .222/.282/.278. His numbers in Charlotte are fine -- a .796 OPS in 35 games -- but that reflects exactly what Haseley is: a Quad-A outfielder.

He's another guy the Sox can toss into their right field mix, but there's no rational reason to believe Haseley can move the needle at a position that has been a perpetual weakness for years.

Right now, Gavin Sheets and Clint Frazier are forming a platoon in right field, with the lefty Sheets playing against right-handed pitching, and the righty Frazier playing against lefties. If the Sox have a lead late on days when Sheets is playing, Frazier comes in because he is the superior defensive player.

But the main problem is neither man has been hitting:

Sheets in the month of June: .195/.298/.317 with 1 HR, 1 RBI and only 2 doubles in 17 games

Frazier in the month of June: .147/.275/.177 with only 1 double and 1 RBI in 18 games

As a matter of fact, Frazier has more walks (6) than hits (5) this month, and he is without a homer on the season. Right field is supposed to be a power position. The Sox are getting nothing of the sort.

Remember what happened in the offseason? The Sox did not address right field, believing rookie Oscar Colas was ready to man the position. It didn't work out early, as Colas batted .211/.265/.276 with only one homer and seven RBIs in 25 games before being optioned.

Colas has an .823 OPS in 43 games in Triple-A Charlotte. That's good, not great. BUT ... since June 13, he's posted a slash line of .295/.354/.613. He's homered three times in the past two days. He went 8 for 19 on the Knights' most recent homestand.

There's still plenty of upside in the 24-year-old Colas. Why not give him another shot in right field while he's hot? Wouldn't that be a more inspired use of a roster spot than the journeyman Haseley?

Some updates on the White Sox roster

Tim Anderson

The Houston Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, which means the 2022-23 offseason can finally begin.

Let's go over some of the roster moves the White Sox have made thus far.

Shortstop Tim Anderson, who is coming off an injury-plagued season, had his $12.5 million contract option exercised.

However, it looks like his double play partner will be someone new. The Sox declined a $5.5 million club option on second baseman Josh Harrison, instead opting to pay him a $1.5 million buyout for a savings of $4 million.

The Sox cleared additional space on their 40-man roster by outrighting relief pitcher Kyle Crick and outfielder Adam Haseley. Look for those two players to have their jerseys on the clearance rack at the garage sale if the Sox ever host a SoxFest again.

First baseman Jose Abreu, shortstop Elvis Andrus, and pitchers Johnny Cueto and Vince Velasquez have elected free agency.

That leaves the Sox roster at 35 players, although they will have to reinstate infielder Danny Mendick and pitchers Garrett Crochet and Jonathan Stiever from the 60-day disabled list at some point. That would take the roster to 38 players, so there's still room.

The most notable of these moves is the decision to cut ties with Harrison, who played 119 games and batted .256/.317/.370 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs in 2022. The veteran basically met expectations. Maybe Harrison wasn't part of the solution, but he wasn't a problem either. He essentially earned his salary.

Had the Sox picked up that option, they probably could have gotten similar production next season. But perhaps they are looking to cut costs, figuring they can get the same numbers for less money from other internal options. Those options include Mendick, Romy Gonzalez and ... gulp ... Leury Garcia.

OK, actually Garcia makes $5.5 million, so he's making the same money as Harrison would have. But the two are somewhat redundant on the roster, so it makes little sense to carry them both.

Perhaps the Sox intend to fill second base via trade, since the free agent market at the position is thin. We'll find out in the coming months.