Nick Maton? Why not Tim Elko, Corey Julks or Dominic Fletcher?

We noted earlier this week that the White Sox have had a lot of trouble scoring runs in Kansas City in recent years.

Nothing new to report Wednesday night: The Royals got a two-run homer from shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., and that was enough for Kansas City to beat the Sox, 2-1.

One thing you notice about the Sox: There is almost no power whatsoever in their lineup. After Wednesday's loss, it has now been five consecutive games without a home run for this team. Luis Robert Jr. hit his fifth home run of the season last Friday in a 7-3 win over the Houston Astros, but the quick-strike offense has been lacking for the South Siders.

Adding to the problem: another injury for Andrew Benintendi, who hit the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a calf strain. Whatever power the Sox have, it typically comes from Robert Jr. and Benintendi. The two are tied for the team lead in homers with five. 

Strangely, the Sox selected the contract of Nick Maton to take Benintendi's place on the roster. You might recall that Maton was designated for assignment on April 26, after batting .173/.295/.327 in 23 games to start the season.

I guess Maton did hit two homers in those 23 games, but I wouldn't say he's the sort of player who is a threat to hit the ball out of the park with any regularity. He's not going to fill any power void.

He's also an infielder, so he's not going to fill the holes the Sox have at the corner outfield spots. Benintendi, Mike Tauchman and Austin Slater are all injured now, leaving the South Siders woefully thin in the outfield.

Brooks Baldwin, an infielder by trade, has been playing left field in this series against Kansas City. Joshua Palacios started in right field on Wednesday. Palacios is lucky to be in the big leagues, but at least he's playing his natural position. 

This is why the addition of Maton is so curious. He doesn't help in any of these two glaring problem areas, and the Sox have other options at Triple-A Charlotte.

Tim Elko is batting .348 with 10 homers and 23 RBIs for the Knights. No, Elko is not going to stand at a corner outfield spot, but you can put him at designated hitter and at least have another guy besides Robert Jr. who is a threat to hit a ball into the seats.

Then there's Corey Julks, who is pretty much a Quad-A player. But he's dominating at Charlotte, hitting .364 with three homers and 14 RBIs. We've seen Julks before, and we know that production won't translate all that well to the majors, but at least he can play a competent corner outfield in the short run.

Dominic Fletcher is hanging around Charlotte, too, batting .265 with an .836 OPS. Fletcher is actually a good defensive outfielder, especially if you put him at a corner spot. At least that's *something,* a skill that has some utility.

What exactly is Maton going to give the Sox? I always say, even if I disagree with a move, I can live with it if I understand the thought process behind it. 

But I just don't see the logic here of passing over Elko, Julks and Fletcher to add Maton to the roster.

Luis Robert Jr., Andrew Vaughn continue to fail White Sox

The top of the fifth inning of Tuesday night's game against the Minnesota Twins summed up White Sox baseball for me this season.

The Sox were trailing 2-1, but they had a promising start to the inning. Singles by Nick Maton and Andrew Benintendi put runners on first and third with nobody out against struggling Minnesota starter Bailey Ober, who entered this game with a 6.16 ERA.

The table was set for the No. 3 and No. 4 batters in the Sox lineup, Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Vaughn.

Well, you can guess what happened, and none of it was good. Robert had a chance to do damage on two middle-middle changeups from Ober, but he fouled both of them off. Having gotten away with a couple of mistakes, Ober then came up with a quality pitch, acing Robert with a fastball on the corner for a called strike three.

Vaughn jumped ahead in the count 2-0, but you wouldn't know he was at an advantage based upon the pitch he swung at -- a breaking ball down and on the outside corner. It was a pitch that was designed to get Vaughn to roll over, and he obliged, bouncing into a 6-4-3 double play. 

Inning over. No runs.

Why swing at that pitch when you are ahead in the count? Who knows?

A potential big inning was derailed, and the Sox went on to lose 4-2.

Robert is now hitting .151 with a .527 OPS. Vaughn is batting .145 with a .461 OPS. These are the guys the Sox are counting on to be the big run producers in the middle of the lineup.

No wonder they are 5-18. It's time to move on from both players. Hopefully, that will happen sometime in 2025.

White Sox drop 3 out of 4 in Boston

It isn't even May, but the White Sox have already suffered through an eight-game losing streak and a six-game losing streak this season.

But at least they won't go 0-81 on the road this season, right? The Sox are now 1-9 away from home after dropping three out of four to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. 

Here's a look back at the wraparound series from Easter weekend:

Friday, April 18

Red Sox 10, White Sox 3: What was your favorite memory of the Martin Perez era? It probably wasn't this game, as Perez gave up four runs in the first three innings before departing after 52 pitches with a left forearm injury.

Perez (1-1) has since been placed on the 60-day injured list, so we won't be seeing him in a Sox uniform again soon, if ever.

Boston's Trevor Story went 3 for 4 with two 3-run homers in this game, including one in the first inning off Perez and another off Tyler Gilbert in the seventh inning.

The Sox were limited to six hits, with Andrew Benintendi's third home run of the season being one of the few offensive highlights. Edgar Quero doubled during ninth inning garbage time for his first major league hit. 

Saturday, April 19

Red Sox 4, White Sox 3 (10 innings): The Sox were in rough shape after six innings in this one, trailing 3-0 against Boston ace Garrett Crochet, who fanned seven and allowed only four hits.

But the Red Sox went to the bullpen in the seventh inning, and Chicago capitalized with a three-run rally to tie the game. Chase Meidroth singled to make it 3-1, and Luis Robert Jr.'s second homer of the season -- a two-run shot -- evened the score.

But as I always say when the Sox tie a game late on the road, "Ehh, they'll just get walked off anyway." They did, indeed, get walked off. Triston Casas singled off Mike Vasil (0-1) with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th to win the game for Boston. 

It was a three-hit game for Meidroth and a two-hit game for Quero, but those are the last hits we'll be seeing from Meidroth for at least a couple of weeks. He's now on the 10-day injured list with right thumb inflammation.

Sunday, April 20

White Sox 8, Red Sox 4: The Sox were 0-79 in 2024 when trailing after six innings. But this game ensures they will not put together a similar dubious record in that department this season. Chicago scored three in the seventh, two in the eighth and one in the ninth to erase a 4-2 deficit and snap a six-game losing streak.

Quero delivered the biggest hit, a two-run single that capped the three-run inning in the seventh and put the Sox ahead to stay. Former Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks took the mound in relief for Boston in the eighth, but Andrew Vaughn hit his third home run of the season -- a two-run blast -- to extend the Chicago lead. Matt Thaiss also had a two-run homer for the Sox, and he added an RBI in the ninth on a bases-loaded HBP.

That made a winner out of lefty Brandon Eisert (1-0) who got five outs in the middle of the game in relief of starter Sean Burke.

Monday, April 21

Red Sox 4, White Sox 2: The one day of winning was fun while it lasted, as Chicago's bats went silent again in the series finale.

Boston starter Walker Buehler struck out nine over seven innings of one-run ball. The Sox were limited to five hits and went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

Benintendi's fourth homer of the season in the eighth inning -- off Boston lefty Aroldis Chapman -- was one of the few good at-bats of the game for Chicago. Benintendi had two of the team's five hits.

Sox starter Jonathan Cannon (0-3) struggled early, giving four runs in the first three innings. To his credit, at least he pitched six innings, saving the bullpen for the next series. 

The Sox are now 5-17 and will head to Minnesota for a three-game series that starts Tuesday night.

Triple-A Charlotte: Is there anyone else for the White Sox to call up?

Chase Meidroth got called up from Triple-A Charlotte last Thursday, and his first three games as a member of the White Sox went well.

In 10 plate appearances against the Boston Red Sox, Meidroth went 3 for 7 with three singles, three walks and three runs scored. He played both second base and shortstop, and while I think he's better served at second base, Meidroth played mistake-free defense at both positions over the weekend.

It was a positive first impression, and that leads to this question: Is there anyone else in Charlotte who can help the White Sox now? Here are some notable names and how they are faring:

Edgar Quero, C: Quero has perhaps the most impressive stats of any of the Knights regulars. He's batting .326/.448/.418. That's 15 for 46 with 14 strikeouts and 11 walks. The only downside is Quero has only one double, one homer and four RBIs. Thirteen of his 15 hits are singles. There hasn't been much slugging in his game, but he's been getting on base. One thing we can't tell from the statistics is how Quero is doing defensively, and that's always a thing with catchers. It's the most important defensive position on the field, and it's more than offense that dictates when a catcher gets his chance.

Kyle Teel, C: Speaking of catchers, Teel is perhaps the most promising position player prospect in Chicago's system. He was the key player acquired in the deal where the White Sox sent ace lefty Garrett Crochet to Boston over the offseason. Teel's first three games of 2025 could not have gone any better. He started 6 for 12 with two homers and nine RBIs. But since then, he's fallen on hard times. He's in the midst of a 4-for-40 skid. He hasn't had a home run or an RBI since those first three games. His current slash line? .192/.323/.385. It's nothing to worry about this early in the season, but Teel is not a candidate for Chicago at this time because he's struggling. I believe in calling guys up when they are swinging the bat well.

Tim Elko, 1B: If there's one guy who probably should get a shot now, it's the 26-year-old Elko, who has hit at every level and has little to prove in the minor leagues. He's batting .365/.435/.448 with a homer, two doubles and seven RBIs through 12 games. Elko hasn't displayed much home run power yet this season, but we know it's in there. He had 28 homers in 2023 and 18 last season. The Sox are in need of a power bat in their lineup. They recently endured an 0-6 road trip during which they did not hit a single home run. The concern with Elko is always his high strikeout rate. He has 16 Ks in 46 plate appearances this season. But we are reaching a point where the Sox should find out whether Elko has anything to offer. 

Colson Montgomery, SS: Remember when Montgomery was considered Plan A at shortstop for the Sox this season? That idea went down in flames when Montgomery had a back injury and an unproductive spring training. The woes have continued through this opening stretch of the regular season. Montgomery is just 6 for 49, and he's already struck out a whopping 26 times. His batting line is .122/.204/.245. Apparently, Montgomery was 2 for 4 with his second home run of the season on Sunday, so I guess that's something. However, there's no indication that we'll see Montgomery anytime soon. In fact, he's struggled so mightily that I wonder why the front office was so bullish on him coming into the year.

Corey Julks, OF: The Sox are decimated by outfield injuries, with Mike Tauchman, Andrew Benintendi and Austin Slater on the IL. So, I was looking to see if there was anyone playing well in Charlotte who can stand at a corner outfield spot. The only guy I see is the erstwhile Julks, who appeared in 66 games with the Sox last season and batted only .214. But hey, he's batting .370/.452/.519 in 10 games with the Knights this year! Yes, he's a classic Quad-A player, but I wanted to put five guys on this list, so there you have it.

Andrew Benintendi out 4-6 weeks with fracture

The White Sox collected their first spring win of the season Thursday, defeating the Cleveland Guardians, 4-2.

The victory came at a price, however, as left fielder Andrew Benintendi will miss four to six weeks with a non-displaced fracture in his right hand. The veteran was struck with a pitch from Cleveland left-hander Logan Allen in the bottom of the first inning.

The injury comes exactly four weeks before the season opener on March 27, so we should not expect to see Benintendi back in the lineup by then. Mid-April is probably a more realistic timeline.

Earlier this month, I noted that the Sox outfield was pretty much set, with Luis Robert Jr., Benintendi, Austin Slater, Mike Tauchman and Michael A. Taylor all in camp on major league contracts.

The injury gods had other ideas, and now there's a spot open. Dominic Fletcher and Oscar Colas are the other two outfielders on the 40-man roster, so one would assume that opportunity will knock for one of them.

If I'm being honest, I've seen about enough of Colas. I've watched three of the six spring games, and I've already seen the 26-year-old Cuban make two egregious defensive miscues -- including one where a fly ball smacked him right in the face. 

Fletcher, 27, played 72 games with the Sox last season, and he demonstrated that he cannot hit. He batted just .206/.252/.256 with one home run, only eight doubles and 17 RBIs. That said, Fletcher has shown that he is a plus defender at corner outfield spots, and he can stand in center field in a pinch (although Taylor is best suited to back up Robert Jr. in that role.)

When choosing a backup outfielder, I prefer the guy who can catch the ball, so I'll take Fletcher over Colas.

If you're wondering about free agent outfielders, Alex Verdugo, Aaron Hicks, Robbie Grossman, Adam Duvall and David Peralta are all still out there.

Verdugo, 29, is the only one of that group younger than age 35. He batted .233/.291/.356 with the New York Yankees last season. That doesn't wow anyone, and it seems unlikely that Sox ownership will open the wallet to raise the floor of the team to compensate for a short-term injury.

Fletcher or Colas it shall likely be.

Andrew Benintendi for White Sox designated hitter?

In a minor move Tuesday, the White Sox reportedly agreed to terms with outfielder Michael A. Taylor on a one-year-deal worth $1.95 million.

Taylor continues making the rounds in the AL Central. He played for the Kansas City Royals in 2021-22, winning a Gold Glove as a center fielder in 2021. From there, he joined the Minnesota Twins in 2023, where he hit a career-high 21 homers.

Alas, Taylor fell on rough times last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, slumping to a .193/.253/.290 slash line with only five home runs in 113 games.

The 34-year-old is a lifetime .235 batter with 120 career stolen bases. He has speed and can play credible defense in center, where he has played 921 of his 1,001 career games. He has a 10.4 defensive WAR for his career.

You might be thinking, so what? Taylor's just another extra outfielder at the end of his career. And he's probably here to be the center fielder when Luis Robert Jr. gets traded midseason to a contender for prospects.

But here's my thinking: In the short run, does this get weak-armed Andrew Benintendi out of left field and into the designated hitter role?

The Sox infield is very much in flux going into spring training, but I think I know who the five rostered outfielders are going to be: Robert, Benintendi, Taylor, Mike Tauchman and Austin Slater.

The working presumption has been that Tauchman and Slater will platoon in right field, with Benintendi in left and Robert in center.

My proposal is Slater in left, Robert in center, Tauchman in right and Benintendi at DH. Taylor is your late-inning defensive replacement. Or, sometimes, Taylor plays center while Robert takes some DH plate appearances to hopefully stay healthy.

One of the many problems the Sox had last season: Opponents took extra bases at will on Benintendi's weak arm in left. Heck, they were tagging up and advancing on medium-deep flyouts. That can't continue.

If you think putting a credible defense on the field can yield a few more wins, and I do, the Sox need to consider making this change.

One might argue that Benintendi's bat is too weak to hold down the DH spot. That's fair, and if this were a contending team, I'd agree. 

But, it's worth noting that Benintendi recovered enough from a slow start in 2024 to total 20 homers, with 12 of those coming after Aug. 1. He had a .952 OPS in August and a .807 OPS in September. Really, if Benintendi could pull his OPS up around .750 for a season, that would be fine for a DH on a rebuilding team.

Why not give it a try? 

White Sox surprise with 3-game sweep of Rays

Is the Tommy Pham effect real?

The White Sox added the 36-year-old mercurial outfielder to their 26-man roster on Friday, and within 72 hours, they doubled their season win total.

The Sox are now 6-22 after a three-game weekend sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Pham was solid, but not spectacular, going 5 for 14 with five singles and three runs scored in the three victories.

Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

April 26

White Sox 9, Rays 4: The long-awaited offensive breakout came in the back half of this game as the Sox pounded out 12 hits. They scored seven of their nine runs from the sixth inning on to give their beleaguered pitching staff some much-needed breathing room.

Martin Maldonado, of all people, hit a 3-run homer in the seventh inning as part of a 2-for-4 performance. Eloy Jimenez added his third home run of the season, a 2-run shot in the seventh. Nicky Lopez, Pham, Danny Mendick and Paul DeJong also had two-hit games.

Chris Flexen (1-3) tossed five-plus shutout innings to pick up his first win of the season. Five Sox relievers were needed to cover the last four innings. They gave up four runs during that stretch, so it was a blessing that the offense poured it on.

April 27

White Sox 8, Rays 7 (10 innings): Left fielder Andrew Benintendi entered Saturday's action batting .169 with no home runs and four RBIs. By the time the evening was over, he had raised his average 22 points, and he had two home runs.

Benintendi's 2-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th inning was part of a six-RBI night for the struggling veteran. After the Sox fell behind 3-0 early. Benintendi's 3-run homer in the fourth tied it up. He added a wind-blown RBI single in fifth before his game-winning blast off Tampa reliever Phil Maton in extra innings.

The Sox once again burned through six pitchers, but hey, a 10-hit attack and a big night from one of the team's highest-paid veterans covered up some other problems.

April 28

White Sox 4, Rays 2: Erick Fedde for Sox All-Star-representative? The right-hander turned in the best outing of any Sox starting pitcher this season, going 8.1 innings.

He allowed two earned runs on seven hits, striking out nine and walking none. Fedde improved to 2-0 in six starts this season. He's the first Sox pitcher with more than one win, and the fact that he doesn't have a loss while pitching on this team is notable. 

Over his past two starts, Fedde has fanned 20 batters and walked nobody. His season ERA is 2.60.

The Sox got two runs in the fifth on RBI singles from Robbie Grossman and Mendick. Benintendi added a two-run single in the bottom of the eighth to put the Sox ahead, 4-1. He now has a team-best 12 RBIs. What a difference two days makes, huh?

The insurance was needed as Fedde tired in the ninth. After retiring the first batter, he gave up a single and an RBI double. With the score 4-2, Jordan Leasure relieved and got the final two outs for his first career save.

The Sox collected their first three-game series sweep since June 2-4, 2023, against the Detroit Tigers. Next up, a three-game home series against the Minnesota Twins, who swept the Sox in four games in Minneapolis last week.

It's not Gavin Sheets' fault

Gavin Sheets went 3 for 5 with two doubles, a home run and five RBIs on Wednesday night.

The White Sox still lost, 7-6, in 10 innings to the Cleveland Guardians.

That's because the Sox only went 3 for 15 with runners in scoring position. All three of those hits were by Sheets, including a 3-run homer in the top of the third inning that put the Sox ahead 5-0.

But for the second straight night, the Sox blew a five-run lead. On Tuesday, they were able to overcome that and win anyway.

On Wednesday, the game went extra innings. The Sox took a 6-5 lead in the 10th on an RBI double by ... Sheets, of course. 

Sheets got to third with one out on a sacrifice bunt by Kevin Pillar, but Andrew Benintendi and Martin Maldonado both struck out.

For some reason, manager Pedro Grifol summoned washed-up veteran Bryan Shaw to try to protect the one-run lead. Naturally, Shaw allowed the ghost runner to score, plus one more, and lost the game. Typical.

The Sox are 2-10. Only 150 more games of this crap to go.

Luis Robert Jr. looks like favorite to represent White Sox in All-Star Game

About an hour before game time Sunday, in Suite 250.

Luis Robert Jr. went 3 for 4 with two home runs and three RBIs on Sunday, lifting the White Sox to a 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox in the rubber match of a three-game series at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Robert Jr.'s first homer was in the fourth inning, a high fly to right-center field that just cleared the fence. The two-run shot gave the Sox their first lead of the game at 2-1.

Andrew Benintendi's RBI double scored Gavin Sheets, who had walked, in the fifth inning to make it 3-1. Robert Jr. then capped the scoring in the sixth with a screaming liner to left field that cleared the Sox bullpen.

On the pitching side, it was a bullpen game for the Sox. Tanner Banks started and gave up the lone Boston run over 2.2 innings pitched. Jesse Scholtens (1-2) went four scoreless innings to pick up the first win of his career, and Keynan Middleton worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his second save of the season.

Robert Jr. now has 21 home runs this season, to go along with 20 doubles.

Here is a list of Sox players to clear 20 home runs and 20 doubles before the All-Star break:

• Frank Thomas, 1993
• Frank Thomas, 1994
• Magglio Ordonez, 2000
• Frank Thomas, 2003
• Jermaine Dye, 2008
• Jose Abreu, 2014
• Jose Abreu, 2019
• Luis Robert Jr., 2023

It's exclusive list. Robert Jr.'s slash line is now .269/.326/.559. Even with his high strikeout totals (91 in 315 plate appearances), his extra-base power and premium defense in center field easily make Robert Jr. the most effective player on the Sox this season.

It's hard to see a scenario where he isn't the guy to represent the Sox during the MLB All-Star Game next month in Seattle.

Lucas Giolito throws six no-hit innings; White Sox beat Yankees

Lucas Giolito

Aaron Judge did not play for the New York Yankees on Tuesday night ... and the White Sox actually took advantage!

Lucas Giolito pitched six no-hit innings, and catcher Seby Zavala homered twice to lift the Sox to a 3-2 win at Yankee Stadium.

This was the second time this season that Giolito (5-4) went six innings without allowing a hit. Both times, he had to be removed because of a high pitch count. In this outing, he struck out seven, walked three and threw 58 of his 100 pitches for strikes. 

In particular, Giolito's slider was effective to right-handed hitters, and no doubt the absence of Judge (day-to-day with a foot injury) -- the reigning American League MVP -- made his job a little bit easier.

Of all people, Zavala was the one to come through offensively. In the bottom of the third inning, he hit a 320-foot wall-scraper that just cleared the 314 mark by the right-field foul pole. It might have been a home run in only one of 30 MLB parks, but that one park happens to be Yankee Stadium.

Zavala added a two-run shot in the fifth off New York starter Clarke Schmidt (2-6). This was one not cheap. It was a 435-foot blast to the pull field on what looked like a hanging slider. That gave the Sox a 3-0 lead, which is where the score remained until the seventh.

Joe Kelly relieved for the Sox and issued a two-out walk. Poor defense cost the Sox the no-hitter when Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Benintendi miscommunicated on a fly ball to left-center by Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Nobody called for the ball, and it fell at Robert Jr.'s feet for an RBI "double."

Kelly escaped the inning without further damage, and Kendall Graveman worked a 1-2-3 eighth for the Sox.

That set the stage for Liam Hendriks' first save opportunity of the season. It was an interesting move by Sox manager Pedro Grifol, because Hendriks entered Tuesday's action with a career 7.83 ERA against the Yankees.

That ERA went up when Josh Donaldson hit Hendriks' first pitch of the ninth for a solo homer to make it 3-2. However, Hendriks rallied and got three consecutive groundouts to shortstop to earn his first save since returning from cancer treatment.

The Sox are 27-35.

White Sox offense continues to disappoint

I didn't want to dump on the White Sox after they swept the Detroit Tigers over the weekend. When your favorite team is 26-35, you have to take the positives when they come, right?

But the fact is the Sox won those three games almost solely on the basis of their pitching. They scored only 11 runs in the series, even though the Detroit pitching staff doesn't have anyone who will be confused with a Cy Young contender.

During those three games, the Sox went 19 for 97 (.196) with 16 singles, two doubles and only one home run. They struck out 31 times against nine walks -- two of which were intentional. Not good.

Fortunately, Sox pitching only gave up three runs total in the three games. But with stronger teams lurking on the June schedule -- the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Texas Rangers, to name a few -- the Sox are going to have to start hitting.

The pitching staff could perform well and still give up four or five runs per game to the aforementioned playoff contenders. If that's the case, the Sox better be able to score five or six runs every now and then. It hasn't happened much, because there are too many guys struggling.

Let's take a look at some of these lineup spots that aren't generating much:

Tim Anderson. The Sox leadoff hitter has yet to homer in 2023, and he has only eight extra-base hits (all doubles). A .633 OPS and a 76 OPS+ isn't going to get it done from a player who has made the All-Star team in past years.

Yasmani Grandal. The slow-footed catcher is 4 for 28 in his past eight games and has no extra-base hits in that span. That's not good, because when Grandal singles, he clogs the bases. The Sox need him to provide some power.

Yoan Moncada. The switch-hitting third baseman is 2 for 22 with no extra-base hits in his past eight games. He has a .684 OPS and a 88 OPS+ for the season. Moncada hit two home runs in the season-opening series against the Houston Astros. He hasn't homered since April 2.

Andrew Benintendi. His next home run in a Sox uniform will be his first. Benintendi is now 231 plate appearances into his career on the South Side, and he's yet to take advantage of the relatively short fence in right field at Guaranteed Rate Field. He has a .686 OPS and a 90 OPS+.

Luis Robert Jr. The team leader in home runs with 13 has not gone deep since May 21. He is 6 for 36 with 16 strikeouts in his past nine games. Robert Jr. has already struck out 70 times this season in 240 plate appearances.

Gavin Sheets. In his past five games, Sheets is 0 for 11 with five strikeouts. That's not going to cut it for a player whose only value comes from being a left-handed bat.

I could go on, but you get the idea. 

If you look at WAR on baseballreference.com, six of the top eight Sox players this season are pitchers. Only Robert Jr. and Jake Burger crack the top eight among position players.

In all of baseball, the Sox rank 21st in batting average (.240), 28th in on-base percentage (.297), 23rd in slugging percentage (.386), 25th in OPS (.683) and 25th in OPS+ (87). Those numbers are entering Monday's play.

So, by almost every metric, the Sox are a bottom-third offense in MLB. I don't think they are going to storm back into contention this way. The bats have to wake up soon, or else the good vibes from this recent series with the Tigers will be short-lived.

White Sox sweep Detroit Tigers

Guaranteed Rate Field moments before first pitch Saturday.

The White Sox limited the Detroit Tigers to only three runs total in a three-game weekend sweep at Guaranteed Rate Field. 

Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, June 2

White Sox 3, Tigers 0. Detroit pitcher Reese Olson made his MLB debut and held the Sox hitless through five innings. But the South Siders broke through with two runs on four singles in the bottom of the sixth. Andrew Benintendi and Eloy Jimenez delivered the RBI hits. Tim Anderson added an RBI double in the seventh, and the Sox bullpen made the lead stick.

Mike Clevinger pitched five innings of scoreless ball in his return from the injured list. Four relievers pitched a scoreless inning each. Keynan Middleton (1-0) got the victory after working the top of the sixth. Kendall Graveman pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his fifth save.

Saturday, June 3

White Sox 2, Tigers 1, 10 innings. This was one of the weirdest games I've ever attended. There were only three runs scored, and all of them came home on wild pitches. In fact, this was the first game in MLB history with three run-scoring wild pitches and no runs scored on anything else.

In the fourth inning, Benintendi singled, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a wild pitch. The Tigers answered in the sixth when Zach McKinstry tripled and scored on a wild pitch by Sox starter Dylan Cease.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the 10th. With the bases loaded and two outs, and Anderson at the plate, Detroit reliever Jose Cisnero threw a high fastball that catcher Eric Haase missed. The ball struck umpire Cory Blaser square in the mask and deflected away. Yoan Moncada came home from third to score the winning run, while Anderson and Haase helped a stunned Blaser back to his feet. 

The Sox celebrated a win, but there was also a great deal of concern for the injured umpire, who ended up missing Sunday's game with concussion symptoms. You may never see an ending like that again.

Sunday, June 4

White Sox 6, Tigers 2. Jake Burger became the ninth Sox player to hit a walk-off grand slam, and the first since Jose Abreu on April 25, 2014.

With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Burger got a 1-0 curve from Detroit closer Alex Lange and golfed over the left-field fence for the game-winning hit. It was Burger's 12th home run of the season.

The blast made a winner of Liam Hendriks (1-0) on National Cancer Survivors Day. The veteran right-hander worked a 1-2-3 top of the ninth with two strikeouts, and this was by far the sharpest he has looked in three outings since returning to the mound after winning his battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Hendriks' fastball topped out at 97 mph, and he was throwing his slider for strikes -- both positive signs.

Also a positive sign: Michael Kopech had a strong outing. He allowed only two runs on three hits. He struck out nine and walked one. He has struck out at least nine batters in each of his past four starts, totaling 38 strikeouts in 26.1 innings during that span. 

The Sox are 26-35 heading into an off day Monday. Next up, a three-game series in the Bronx against the New York Yankees (36-25).

White Sox bats arrive in late innings at Cleveland

Dylan Cease

Remember when the White Sox were 15-0 against left-handed starters in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season? 

Unfortunately, you can't count on that as an offensive strength for the Sox anymore. Entering Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians, the South Siders were 2-7 this season when facing a left-handed pitcher.

Make it 3-7.

It didn't look good early, but the Sox bats arrived in the late innings to beat Cleveland and lefty Logan Allen, 4-2.

Through four innings, the Sox managed only one hit and trailed, 1-0. But catcher Yasmani Grandal hit his fourth home run of the season -- on an 0-2 pitch, no less -- to tie the game at 1.

Cleveland retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI double by Josh Naylor, but the 2-1 advantage would be short-lived.

The first five Sox batters reached base against Allen in the top of the seventh. Andrew Vaughn reached on an infield single and advanced to third on a double by Andrew Benintendi.

Vaughn scored when Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez booted a grounder off Grandal's bat. Clint Frazier walked to loaded the bases, with still no outs, and Romy Gonzalez delivered a two-run double to put the Sox ahead, 4-2.

The line stopped moving there, however. Enyel De Los Santos relieved for Cleveland, and he struck out Tim Anderson, Jake Burger and Luis Robert Jr. in succession to strand runners on second and third.

That was a missed opportunity to blow the game wide open, but it turned out that was all the runs the Sox needed.

Dylan Cease (3-3) picked up his first win since April 10 with six innings of two-run ball. The Sox ace was once again lacking his swing-and-miss stuff, as he struck out only three. But he walked only two and limited the Guardians to five hits.

Keynan Middleton, Joe Kelly and Kendall Graveman each worked a scoreless inning of relief. Graveman -- who earned his fourth save of 2023 -- allowed a walk and a hit, but a well-timed double play kept the Guardians off the board. 

The Sox are 20-30. The Guardians are 21-27.

White Sox sweep Kansas City Royals

Guaranteed Rate Field on Sunday afternoon.

It's only the Kansas City Royals, but the 2023 White Sox have finally swept a three-game series. And given that the Royals took three out of four from the Sox in Kansas City just last week, perhaps we shouldn't be minimizing the accomplishment. 

Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, May 19: White Sox 2, Royals 0

Michael Kopech (2-4) dominated the Royals over eight innings, allowing only one hit while striking out 10 and walking none. The lone Kansas City hit was a broken-bat single by Michael Massey, and he was quickly erased when Jackie Bradley Jr. grounded into a double play. 

Kendall Graveman worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his third save of the season, and Sox pitchers ended up facing the minimum 27 batters. That's the first time the Sox have done that since Philip Humber's perfect game in 2012.

The Sox offense produced only five singles, but four of them came in the second inning, yielding the only two runs that were needed. Gavin Sheets had an RBI single, and Romy Gonzalez added a sacrifice fly.

Saturday, May 20: White Sox 5, Royals 1

Jake Burger's three-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning turned a slim 2-1 Sox lead into a comfortable advantage. Yoan Moncada's two-run single in the first inning produced the other Sox runs.

After giving up a home run to Salvador Perez in the first inning, Lucas Giolito (3-3) settled in to give the Sox six quality innings. He allowed six hits, while striking out four and walking one. 

Four Sox relievers combined to allow only one hit over the last three innings.

Sunday, May 21: White Sox 5, Royals 2

The big hit in this game came from Gonzalez, of all people. The backup infielder entered Sunday's game with a .132 batting average, but with runners on second and third and the Sox trailing 2-1 in the fifth inning, Gonzalez delivered a two-run triple that put the Sox ahead to stay. His average is up to .195 after a 3-for-3 day.

Luis Robert connected for this 13th home run of the season, a solo shot in the fourth, and Andrew Benintendi added the other two RBIs -- a sacrifice fly after Gonzalez's triple in the fifth and an RBI single in the seventh.

Lance Lynn (3-5) gave up a two-run homer to Massey in the second, but nothing more, over six innings. He struck out six and walked two.

Relievers Keynan Middleton, Aaron Bummer and Joe Kelly did not allow a hit over the final three innings. Kelly struck out two in his 1-2-3 ninth inning and earned his first save of the season.

The Sox are 19-29. The Royals are 14-34.

White Sox blown out in Kansas City (again)

The top of the first inning gave me some really bad vibes Wednesday night.

Kansas City starting pitcher Brad Keller is the American League leader in walks issued. He had walked 28 batters in 34.2 innings pitched coming into his start Wednesday against the White Sox.

And he walked Tim Anderson and Andrew Benintendi to start this game. Eight of his first 10 pitches were out of the zone. Good start for the Sox, right? 

Then Andrew Vaughn swung at a bad pitch and grounded into a double play, and Luis Robert Jr. struck out flailing at a breaking ball in the dirt. Keller got off the hook, and I laughed out loud, knowing what was coming next.

The Royals pounded Lance Lynn for four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Keller settled in, and Kansas City went on to an easy 9-1 victory.

It was the second time in three days the 11-27 Royals have blown out the Sox, who dropped to 13-25. 

This game was over in the first inning. Against the Royals. In the middle of an alleged "contention window" for the Sox. Let that rattle around in your head for a bit, and tell me you still think the Sox are going to rally to make the playoffs.

Sorry, I don't see it. 

Lynn gave up seven runs on nine hits over five innings. He's now 1-5 with a 7.51 ERA over eight starts.

By way of comparison, Dallas Keuchel made eight starts for the Sox last season. He went 2-5 with a 7.88 ERA before being designated for assignment.

Yes, Lynn is in Keuchel territory.

But no, I'm not calling for Lynn to be designated for assignment. The fact is the Sox have nobody at Triple-A Charlotte who looks like a viable replacement, so they are just going to have to hope he turns it around. If he doesn't, he'll be wearing it all summer long.

White Sox make 11 roster moves, beat Twins in 10 innings

Tim Anderson

Andrew Benintendi's two-out RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted the White Sox to a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.

It took 30 games, but the Sox (9-21) have finally won two in a row for the first time in the 2023 season. But the biggest news of the day came during the afternoon, when the club announced a series of 11 roster moves.

In the 40-plus years I've been following this team, I don't think I've seen anything quite like it. I guess you might say it's indicative of the fact that things have not been going well. 

Let's take a look at the comings and goings.

Who's here?

• Tim Anderson (sprained knee) was activated off the 10-day injured list. He played shortstop and batted leadoff Tuesday night for the first time since suffering the injury April 10. The Sox went 3-15 during his 18-game absence.
• Hanser Alberto (groin strain) was activated off the 10-day injured list. He appeared in Tuesday's game as a late-inning defensive replacement and scored the winning run as the ghost runner in the 10th inning.
• Veteran right-hander Alex Colome had his contract selected from Triple-A Charlotte. Colome served as the Sox closer in 2019-20. He pitched two-thirds of an inning Tuesday night and gave up a game-tying solo home run to Minnesota's Nick Gordon.
• Outfielder Billy Hamilton had his contract selected from Triple-A Charlotte. This is also his second stint with the Sox. He was a member of the 2021 AL Central championship team. He appeared in Tuesday's game as a pinch runner in the ninth inning. He stole a base, but was stranded at third.
• Pitcher Sammy Peralta had his contract selected from Triple-A Charlotte. The 24-year-old has never pitched in the majors. He figures to be deployed as the second lefty out of the bullpen -- or maybe the first lefty, given how bad Aaron Bummer has pitched this season.

Who's gone?

• Veteran relief pitcher Joe Kelly was placed on the paternity list. This move was expected Tuesday.
• Right fielder Oscar Colas was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. The decision to give the 24-year-old rookie a starting job proved premature, as Colas batted .211/.265/.276 with only one home run in 25 games. He'll need to work on his plate discipline before he can return to the majors. Once again, right field looks like a sore spot for the Sox.
• Second baseman Lenyn Sosa was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. The 23-year-old is not ready for the big leagues at this time. He batted .151/.167/.245 in 16 games with one homer. With Anderson's return, Elvis Andrus moves from shortstop back to second base.
• Utility player Romy Gonzalez was placed on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. A fake injury? You decide. Gonzalez is batting .139/.139/.194, and he's struggled at every position he's played defensively. Had he been optioned to Charlotte, no one would have batted an eye.
• Veteran reliever Jake Diekman was designated for assignment. The lefty was the only acquisition made by the Sox at last season's trade deadline, and he was a disaster. He had a 6.52 ERA in 26 games with the Sox in 2022. This year, he was 0-1 with a 7.94 ERA in 13 games. The evidence suggests the 36-year-old's career might be over.
• Minor league pitcher Franklin German was designated for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster for some of the additions noted above.

How much impact will these moves make? My thinking is that Anderson is the only one that moves the needle, but it's clear that Sox brass is shaking it up to try to save this sagging season. 

What else is there to do right now?

White Sox bullpen locks up 4-3 win in Minnesota

Dylan Cease

There is no such thing as a "big game" in April, but it felt as though the White Sox needed a win Monday against the Minnesota Twins.

They were coming off a lackluster series in Pittsburgh, during which they lost two of three games. Ace Dylan Cease was Monday's starting pitcher, and he was facing a short-handed Twins lineup. Byron Buxton took a scheduled day off, while Carlos Correa and Joey Gallo were out of the lineup with minor ailments.

Well, it wasn't pretty, but the Sox won, 4-3, behind four scoreless innings from a combination of four relief pitchers.

Cease (2-0) earned the win, but his outing was limited to five innings because poor infield defense cost him three runs and about 15 to 20 extra pitches. Hanser Alberto made two miscues -- one an error and one not (because you can't assume a double play) -- that cost the Sox a run in each of the third and fourth innings.

Elvis Andrus and Gavin Sheets both made errors in the bottom of the fifth that cost Cease a third run. 

Cease's final line: 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 6 Ks, 2 BBs.

But for all his shortcomings on defense, Alberto delivered the decision blow of the game -- a 3-run homer off Minnesota starter Kenta Maeda (0-2) that capped a four-run fourth inning. Andrew Benintendi and Sheets singled. Yasmani Grandal singled, scoring Benintendi, and setting up Alberto's blast on a hanging slider.

Cease exited the game after 99 pitches. Jimmy Lambert worked a scoreless sixth, and Kendall Graveman worked around a single to deliver a scoreless seventh.

Aaron Bummer got two outs in the eighth, and left with the tying run on third base. Reynaldo Lopez struck out Michael A. Taylor to end that threat, then worked a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts for his second save of the season.

The Sox are 5-6.

Former White Sox outfielder AJ Pollock headed to Seattle

AJ Pollock

Former White Sox outfielder AJ Pollock has agreed to a one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners worth $7 million, according to recent reports. 

You may recall that when the offseason began, Pollock's future was one of the big questions surrounding the Sox. Would the veteran accept his $13 million player option to remain in Chicago? Or would he opt out and take a $5 million buyout?

Pollock opted out and entered free agency. From a purely financial standpoint, he cost himself $1 million with that decision. He's got the $5 million from the Sox. Add the $7 million from Seattle, and that's a total of $12 million -- which is less than $13 million.

But from Pollock's perspective, perhaps the chance to choose his own team was worth giving up the $1 million. He never asked to come to Chicago -- the Los Angeles Dodgers traded him to the Sox for Craig Kimbrel last spring training, in a deal that really didn't pan out for either side. 

Had Pollock opted in with the Sox, there's a pretty decent chance he would have been traded to parts unknown this offseason. He could have ended up on a non-contender in 2023, or in a place where he would have had limited playing time.

After posting a career-worst .681 OPS in his age-34 season with the Sox in 2022, it's not unreasonable to think Pollock wasn't part of Sox GM Rick Hahn's plans for this season.

He probably knew that, so he opted out to keep control of his fate, even if it cost him some money. You can make a case that it worked out for everybody: Pollock chose his landing spot and signed a contract with an AL West contender in Seattle. The Sox saved $8 million when Pollock walked away, and that money was used to sign Andrew Benintendi, an outfielder that appears to be a better fit on the South Side at this time.

We'll see how it plays out as 2023 moves along.

Report: White Sox add Jake Marisnick to outfield mix

Jake Marisnick

Maybe the Charlotte Knights need outfielders? They probably do, especially if Oscar Colas is expected to start the 2023 season with the White Sox.

I'm just trying to think of reasons why the Sox are stockpiling veteran outfielders on minor league contracts. Earlier this offseason, they picked Victor Reyes and Billy Hamilton off the scrap heap. According to reports, they added 10-year veteran Jake Marisnick on a minor league deal over the weekend.

Marisnick, 31, is getting an invitation to spring training, and if he makes the club, he will reportedly earn a salary of $1.3 million.

We've asked the question before on this blog: If Luis Robert gets hurt at any point during the 2023 season, who plays center field?

Marisnick is a possible answer. He's always been a good defensive player. He can play any of the three outfield spots and do so in an above-average way.

Unfortunately, he's bounced around the league -- five teams since 2019 -- because he's never been a good hitter. His career slash line is .228/.281/.384 over 831 games. He's passable against left-handed pitching -- a career .704 OPS -- but he's struggled to a .640 OPS against right-handers over his career.

Injuries have also crept in. Thumb surgery limited Marisnick to only 31 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022. He batted. .234/.272/.390 with two homers, six doubles and six RBIs in 82 plate appearances.

Obviously, there's a reason he's available on a minor league deal. 

As we've noted, the Sox have question marks in the outfield once you get past Robert and free agent acquisition Andrew Benintendi. The rookie Colas is the presumptive favorite to play right field, and nobody knows who the fourth outfielder will be. 

Perhaps the Sox are counting on one of Reyes, Hamilton or Marisnick to win the job. I'd prefer a more solid option in a "win-now" season, but we know the Sox are prone to "knocking on wood" more often than not when it comes to matters of roster depth.