Yasmani Grandal's return and other crosstown series thoughts

Yasmani Grandal

Sometimes it's amazing the difference one player can make. The White Sox lineup just looks better now that Yasmani Grandal has returned from the injured list.

Give the veteran catcher full credit: He came back ready to hit. In a three-game weekend series against the Cubs, Grandal went 6 for 10 with three home runs, a double and 10 RBIs. 

The Sox (76-56) won two of three games from their crosstown rivals. They are 5-1 against the Cubs this season and captured the Crosstown Cup for the first time since 2016.

With Grandal's return, the Sox lineup is now seven batters deep. The only two weak spots are second baseman Cesar Hernandez, and whoever manager Tony La Russa puts in right field. But once Adam Engel comes off the injured list, La Russa will have more options, and he can mitigate that weakness by selecting a player who has a platoon advantage -- and by batting that player at the bottom of the lineup with Hernandez.

In the meantime, a top seven of Tim Anderson, Luis Robert, Jose Abreu, Eloy Jimenez, Yoan Moncada, Grandal and Andrew Vaughn looks pretty good. All seven of those batters are above league average at their respective positions. 

For the first time all season, the gang is all here, so now it's up to the players to get the job done.

Cease continues strong second half

In this weekend series, the Sox got two weak starts from Dallas Keuchel and Lance Lynn. The Sox overcame the poor performance by Keuchel on Friday night, but they were unable to come from behind twice in a row after Lynn dug them a big hole Saturday night.

Enter Dylan Cease on Sunday, and he dominated the Cubs the way a good pitcher should in a 13-1 victory. 

The right-hander went six innings, striking out 11 and walking only two. He allowed one run on four hits. 

Cease now leads the Sox both in wins (11) and strikeouts (188), and he has allowed three earned runs or less in 10 consecutive starts. During that span, he has lowered his ERA from 4.14 to 3.82.

By contrast, Keuchel is 1-4 with a 7.42 ERA in his past eight starts. Unless something drastically changes in September, it's clear that Cease deserves a spot on the playoff roster over Keuchel.

Cubs fans with short memories

I've seen a lot of comments on social media where Cubs fans have complained about Sox fans rubbing their noses in it after a lopsided crosstown series.

Me personally, I don't feel like bragging too much about the Sox punishing the Cubs. After all, the Cubs stink, and the Sox should be dominating them. That said, I don't blame any Sox fan who wants to stick his or her middle finger in the face of a Cubs fan right now.

It wasn't so long ago that the roles were reversed -- the Cubs were contending, and the Sox were losing almost every day and tanking for draft position. During that period, Cubs fans had absolutely no problem chirping at me when their team was pounding the bejesus out of Carson Fulmer and lighting up James Shields.

In 2018, I couldn't wear my Sox hat out in public without some haughty Cubs fan telling me how much the Sox sucked. I could write a whole blog entry about the smart-ass comments I endured around town that summer.

Now the roles are reversed, and some Cubs fans are expecting Sox fans to lay off them because the "Cubs are not even trying to win." True enough, but the 2018 Sox lost 100 games and started the season by dropping 27 out of their first 36, including the aforementioned two shellackings against the Cubs. Do you think the Sox were "trying to win" then? I would argue not.

Cubs fans weren't nice to Sox fans when we were down, so why should Sox fans take it easy on Cubs fans now? It's apparent that some of these Cubbie faithful have forgotten how they acted when their team was winning. Time to move out of the glass house, folks.

White Sox announce 30-man Opening Day roster

Nick Madrigal

Here are the 30 players who will be in uniform Friday when the White Sox open the season against the Minnesota Twins:

Starting pitchers (5): Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel, Reynaldo Lopez, Dylan Cease, Carlos Rodon

Relief pitchers (11): Alex Colome, Aaron Bummer, Steve Cishek, Evan Marshall, Jace Fry, Kelvin Herrera, Gio Gonzalez, Jimmy Lambert, Codi Heuer, Jimmy Cordero, Ross Detwiler

Catchers (3): Yasmani Grandal, James McCann, Zack Collins

Infielders (7): Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Leury Garcia, Danny Mendick, Edwin Encarnacion, Cheslor Cuthbert

Outfielders (4): Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, Adam Engel, Nicky Delmonico

Notable omissions: INF Nick Madrigal, RHP Carson Fulmer, C Yermin Mercedes

So, even though the Sox have shifted into win-now mode, they are still playing the service time manipulation game. Madrigal probably deserves to be the second baseman, but he'll start the year playing intrasquad games in Schaumburg.

I disagree with that decision, as I always disagree whenever a club manipulates the service time of a good prospect. How much do you want to bet Madrigal will be added to the active roster next week after the cutoff to collect a year of service time passes?

The Sox had 39 men on the 40-man roster, and they needed to add Cuthbert and Detwiler, so that meant that somebody had to go.

That somebody was Fulmer. The former top-10 draft pick was designated for assignment after his latest brutal display of control, when he walked the bases loaded with a 7-2 lead in the eighth inning Sunday against the Cubs. If you can't throw strikes in that situation, when can you throw strikes? Fulmer cannot be counted on to move lopsided games along, and that being the case, he needs to not be on the team. So long, happy trails.

It was expected that the Sox would keep three catchers, and they chose Collins over Mercedes. In this case, you figure Collins' left-handedness helped him. With outfielder Nomar Mazara on the 10-day injured list, the Sox are a little short on left-handed thump. Also, Collins is a former first-round draft pick, and much more has been invested in him than in Mercedes, who is 27 years old and is on his third professional organization.

In other news, infielder Andrew Romine was given his release, and the Sox signed infielder Ryan Goins to a contract and assigned him to Schaumburg. Romine and Goins are similar players. Not sure what made them prefer one Quad-A veteran over another, but let's hope that move doesn't matter in the big picture.

We also were wondering if manager Rick Renteria would announce a starting pitcher for Sunday's third game of the season. No word on that yet. Here are your pitching probables for the weekend series with the Twins:

Friday, 7:10 p.m.: Giolito vs. Jose Berrios
Saturday, 1:10 p.m.: Keuchel vs. Rich Hill
Sunday, 1:10 p.m.: TBD vs. Kenta Maeda

White Sox beat Cubs in perhaps most watched exhibition game ever

Adam Engel

So, the White Sox beat the Cubs, 7-3, at Wrigley Field on Sunday in the first exhibition game for both teams since baseball restarted amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The game drew a 3.93 rating on NBC Sports Chicago, the highest rating for a Sox game since September 2012 -- also known as the last time the Sox were in the pennant race.

I guess that goes to show how starved we are for baseball, right? My phone was blowing up during the game with texts from friends. I seem to become more popular when there's a ballgame on the air.

Hey, my friends have questions. Hopefully, I have answers.

And here are my three takeaways from Sunday's game:

1. It was nice to see the Sox slugging the ball around. The Sox had a punch-and-judy kind of offense in comparison to the rest of the league in 2019. They had a team slugging percentage of .414, which was 13th out of 15 teams in the American League. Only the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers -- two clubs who finished with more than 100 losses -- were worse.

But during a six-run fifth inning, the Sox totaled seven hits, five of them for extra-bases. Adam Engel homered off Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks. Tim Anderson and Jose Abreu singled, also off Hendricks, and the Cubs changed pitchers.

The first four batters against Jharel Cotton went as such:

• Two-run double for Yasmani Grandal
• RBI double for Edwin Encarnacion
• RBI double for Luis Robert
• RBI triple for Leury Garcia

Granted, the triple by Garcia was a bit of a misplay by Cubs center fielder Ian Happ, but every one of those four hits was stung. Good to see.

2. Carson Fulmer is still very bad. The Sox didn't use any pitchers that we'd expect to be on the Opening Day roster. We saw Drew Anderson, Ross Detwiler, Jimmy Lambert, Fulmer and Codi Heuer.

Unfortunately, Fulmer was the one who looked terrible. The former first-round draft pick entered with a 7-2 lead in the eighth inning and could not get three outs. He walked the bases loaded and gave up a run on an infield single. Heuer relieved and needed only one pitch to clean up the mess.

Lead preserved, win preserved, but it's hard to envision Fulmer ever carving a role in the major leagues at this point. He couldn't consistently throw strikes two years ago. He cannot consistently throw strikes today. Enough is enough.

3. Cherish every moment that we have with baseball. I mean, I can't really blame all the people who chose to spend their Sunday night watching a game that really didn't mean a thing.

Summer nights and baseball are cherished things for many of us. We're all crossing our fingers that this 60-game season and playoffs will be played out to its conclusion, but we don't really know what's going to happen with this virus and this godawful pandemic.

Basically, any time I have the chance to sit down and take in a ballgame, I'm going to do it. Even as Sunday's game dragged into the late innings and the regulars from both sides had finished their work for the evening, I continued to watch.

I'm doing that just in case the privilege of watching baseball goes away in the coming weeks. I pray it does not. It was good for the soul, and the fact that the Sox won, that's even better.

Dallas Keuchel feels 'phenomenal.' Jace Fry, not so much.

Dallas Keuchel

Dylan Cease is the only member of the White Sox's projected starting rotation to appear in a spring training game thus far.

Reynaldo Lopez had his start Feb. 22 against the Los Angeles Angels rained out. Lucas Giolito is nursing a minor chest strain, and Gio Gonzalez is being held back because of shoulder discomfort.

Free agent acquisition Dallas Keuchel? Well, he's feeling "phenomenal," according to this report from MLB.com's Scott Merkin.

Keuchel's day to pitch was Wednesday, but the Sox were scheduled to face an American League Central rival in the Kansas City Royals. Rather than allow the Royals to get a live look at Keuchel before the actual games begin, the Sox started organizational pitcher Matt Tomshaw and had Keuchel throw a live bullpen session on the back fields at Camelback Ranch.

The report says Keuchel "got up and down three times," which is a fancy way to say he threw the equivalent of three innings. Keuchel says he's throwing his breaking ball more now than he has at this same time in previous years.

Frankly, I'm wishing for some televised games, so we could get a look at some of these guys ourselves.

Fry dealing with back strain

Jace Fry, projected to be the second left-hander in the Sox's bullpen, is sidelined by back soreness. The issue is said to be minor.

If that injury ends up lingering, it could open the door for nonroster invitee Adalberto Mejia to make the roster. Mejia tossed a scoreless inning Thursday in a 6-5 win over the Seattle Mariners.

Mejia has 62 games of MLB experience, including 25 starts, all with the Minnesota Twins. Actually, Mejia may be a candidate for the eighth spot in the bullpen, even if Fry is healthy. The Sox need a guy who can work multiple innings in long relief, and well, Mejia may be able to do that job better than Carson Fulmer.

That's one of the roster battles playing out as the spring progresses.

3 position battles to watch during White Sox spring training

Nick Madrigal

With the offseason signings of Yasmani Grandal, Dallas Keuchel and Edwin Encarnacion, the White Sox have sent a clear signal that they have made the transition from a rebuilding team to a team that intends to contend in 2020.

Accordingly, there are fewer position battles in spring training this year, with more players considered "locks" for the 26-man roster when compared with what we've seen in the past.

That said, here are three spots the Sox still need to sort out before the season opens March 26 against the Kansas City Royals.

1. Second base

We know Nick Madrigal eventually is going to get his chance to be the second baseman in Chicago. The question is, how soon? The 22-year-old former first-round pick is a career .309/.371/.398 hitter with only 21 strikeouts through 163 professional games.

However, Madrigal has only played 29 games at the Triple-A level, and general manager Rick Hahn has hinted he wants to "see more" from Madrigal before bringing him to the majors for full-time work.

If Madrigal tears apart the Cactus League, it's going to be hard to send him to Charlotte, especially in a win-now season, when every game matters, and when it's imperative to have the best man for the job on the field at every position.

But, if Madrigal is mediocre or struggles in Arizona, he's not coming north with the team when the season starts. The Sox could give Danny Mendick a month of starts at second base, just to see if there's any staying power to the .308/.325/.462 slash line the 26-year-old posted in 16 games during his September call-up last season.

Or, Leury Garcia is always an option, even if he's not an exciting one. Garcia isn't going to be starting in the outfield anymore -- unless someone among the Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, Nomar Mazara group gets injured. The Sox obviously like Garcia, so it wouldn't be a surprise if his new job description reads "stopgap at second until Madrigal arrives."

2. Last spot in the bullpen

I hesitate to call the Sox bullpen a strength. I see scenarios in which it could be, but with Alex Colome, Aaron Bummer and Evan Marshall all being regression candidates, I also can see scenarios where the Sox struggle to close games.

However, I'm pretty sure it's going to be an eight-man bullpen. And I'm pretty sure who seven of those eight men are going to be.

Colome and Marshall will be joined by fellow right-handers Kelvin Herrera, Steve Cishek and Jimmy Cordero. Bummer and Jace Fry will be the two lefties.

That leaves who, exactly, for the eighth spot? Maybe Carson Fulmer gets one more kick at the can? He's out of options, and the Sox are notoriously slow to give up on former first-round picks in whom they've invested a lot of time and capital.

Looking at the seven names above, none of them qualifies as a "long reliever," someone who can come in and provide some length on days when the starting pitcher gets knocked out early. Does that open the door for left-hander Bernardo Flores, who has started throughout his minor league career, but maybe lacks a bread-and-butter pitch to stick in a big league rotation?

Matt Foster, Ian Hamilton, Zack Burdi and Jose Ruiz are other possibilities among pitchers currently on the 40-man roster. Hamilton and Burdi both were once regarded as solid prospects, but injuries have derailed their careers. Are they healthy enough to compete for a spot?

Among nonroster invitees, here are three names to watch: Tayron Guerrero, Codi Heuer and Tyler Johnson.

3. Remaining bench spots

For purposes of this blog, let's say Madrigal starts the season in Triple-A, and Garcia starts the season at second base. I happen to think that's the most likely scenario, so let's go with that.

That puts Mendick in the bench infielder role, and we know James McCann will be the second catcher after Grandal. That's two of the four bench spots. What about the other two?

You figure one of them will be an outfielder, and Adam Engel has the inside track with his superior glove. A career .215 hitter, Engel doesn't have a good track record with the bat, but he did slash .313/.360/.482 in 89 plate appearances against lefties in the 2019. That's, well, something, and it's a skill that could keep Engel around as a bench player if he shows a similar ability this spring.

Nicky Delmonico is back with the organization, too, if for some reason the Sox still think he can be a viable lefty bat off the bench. He lacks a position, so he faces an uphill climb. The same can be said for Daniel Palka, who missed an opportunity to establish himself last season.

Veteran infielder Andrew Romine is in camp on a minor league deal, and there's always the possibility he makes the club if Engel falters, and the club decides they're better off with Garcia serving as the backup outfielder.

Then there's Zack Collins and Yermin Mercedes. The Sox have five catchers on the 40-man, which is rare, and both these two guys are bat-first players. Neither has distinguished themselves as a receiver, but there don't seem to be many DH at-bats available with both Encarnacion and Jose Abreu on the roster. Could either Collins or Mercedes stick as a pinch hitter and third catcher?

I'd say Mercedes has a better shot, because bench bat is probably his ceiling. Collins is a former first-round pick, so I doubt the Sox will be OK with him playing once a week in the majors and getting the occasional pinch-hitting appearance. I look for Collins to start the season as the everyday catcher in Charlotte, but he may be the first call in the event an offense-first player gets injured in Chicago.

White Sox sign relief pitcher Steve Cishek to one-year deal

Steve Cishek

The White Sox on Tuesday moved to increase their bullpen depth by signing veteran relief pitcher Steve Cishek to a one-year, $6 million contract.

Cishek, 33, will earn $5.25 million in 2020. The deal includes an option for 2021 worth $6.75 million, with a $750,000 buyout -- thus the $6 million guaranteed.

The right-hander spent the past two seasons with the Cubs. He appeared in 70 games in 2019, going 4-6 with a 2.95 ERA and seven saves. He struck out 57 and walked 29 with a 1.203 WHIP over 64 innings pitched.

Let's discuss the pluses and minuses of this signing in 3-up, 3-down format.

3 up

1. An ERA below 3.00 for four consecutive seasons. That 2.95 ERA in 2019 represents the *worst* season Cishek has had in recent memory. Over the past four years, his ERAs have been 2.81, 2.01, 2.18 and 2.95, respectively. Even if he regresses, he has a higher floor that some of the other candidates for the Sox bullpen, such as Carson Fulmer and Jose Ruiz.

2. Experience. Cishek is a veteran of 10 MLB seasons, and he's appeared in 572 games. His career ERA is 2.69, and while he likely won't be asked to close for the Sox, he has 132 saves lifetime. This is somebody who has been in his share of high-leverage situations. There's no reason he can't be placed in a seventh- or eighth-inning role.

3. Rubber arm. Cishek appeared in 150 games over the past two seasons, including a ridiculous 80 appearances in 2018. He's pitched in 60 or more games six times during his career. That reliability has to be respected.

3 down

1. A declining strikeout rate. Cishek struck out 10.0 batters per nine innings with the Cubs in 2018, but that declined to 8.0 batters per nine innings last season. His career mark is 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings, so he performed below his norms in 2019. There may be a little less swing-and-miss in his game going forward.

2. Overuse. I don't care who you are, 150 appearances is a ton over two years. In a way, it's a testament to Cishek that his former manager, Joe Maddon, trusted him that often. But sooner or later, that kind of usage has to take its toll. Perhaps that concern is among the reasons Cishek is only getting one year guaranteed on the open market.

3. An increasing home run rate. Cishek gave up 1.0 home runs per nine innings in 2019, which was the second-highest rate of his career. His career mark is 0.6 home runs per nine innings, which is the exact figure he was at during the 2018 season. Of course, to be fair, the ball was juiced last summer, so a lot of pitchers around the league saw an increase in their home run rate.

With the addition of Cishek, I think we can take a good guess at seven of the eight spots in the Sox bullpen. Here's how it most likely looks today:

Left-handers: Aaron Bummer, Jace Fry
Right-handers: Alex Colome, Kelvin Herrera, Cishek, Evan Marshall, Jimmy Cordero, ??????

Here are some candidates to fill in those question marks: Fulmer, Ruiz, Dylan Covey, Zack Burdi, Matt Foster and Ian Hamilton.

White Sox sign left-handed pitcher Dallas Keuchel to three-year contract

Dallas Keuchel

The White Sox on Saturday moved to boost their starting rotation, agreeing to terms with left-hander Dallas Keuchel on a three-year, $55 million contract, according to reports.

The deal includes a vesting option for a fourth season that could take the value of the contract up to $74 million.

Keuchel, 31, won the Cy Young Award in 2015 as a member of the Houston Astros, and he helped that franchise win its only World Series title in 2017. He had a strange season in 2019 -- he was a free agent last offseason, but signed late with the Atlanta Braves, and he didn't pitch until June.

He compiled an 8-8 record with a 3.75 ERA in 19 starts and 112.1 innings pitched. He struck out 91, walked 39 and posted a 1.367 WHIP.

This signing is interesting. Keuchel was once an ace, but he's not anymore, but then again he's not being paid like an ace. For actual ace contracts, see Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg. He's being paid like a stabilizing, mid-rotation veteran, and the hope is he can pitch like a stabilizing, mid-rotation veteran. Keuchel has three 200-plus inning seasons in his past, and he will be the only member of the Sox pitching staff to have ever reached the 200-inning threshold.

Here's how the rotation may look when the season starts:
1. Lucas Giolito
2. Keuchel
3. Reynaldo Lopez
4. Dylan Cease
5. Gio Gonzalez

And let's not forget, Michael Kopech is healthy and will join the rotation at some point.

The concern about Keuchel would be his age. At 31, his best season (2015) is five years in the past. He isn't going to go 20-8 with a 2.48 ERA again. He doesn't have the velocity that the stats guys love -- you're going to be seeing a lot of 87 mph sinkers. And it is true that Keuchel was not the Sox's top choice. That was Zack Wheeler, who signed a five-year deal with Philadelphia.

However, consider these things about Keuchel: He has compiled a 121 ERA+ over the past three seasons. That means he's been 21 percent better than league average over that time, and it's notable that these numbers DO NOT include his Cy Young season of 2015. He's also been healthy, knock on wood. There's only been one stint on the injured list in the past seven years, and that was for a pinched nerve in his neck. Keuchel has never missed time because of a shoulder or elbow problem. And Keuchel had a 60.1 groundball rate last season -- that's the best in baseball for any pitcher who threw more than 110 innings.

Now, whether the Sox infield can catch all those groundballs, that's a matter of debate. But I think that number demonstrates that Keuchel can still be an effective starter for the Sox, and I don't think three years and about $18 million per is an overpay at all -- especially when you consider what aces are receiving in the current marketplace.

Perhaps most importantly, this addition -- and the addition of Gonzalez -- sends pitchers such as Dylan Covey, Carson Fulmer and Ross Detwiler to the back of the line in terms of rotation options. Even if you don't care for these two additions, Keuchel and Gonzalez have a floor that is higher than the ceilings of pitchers such as Covey and Detwiler. At minimum, the Sox have made incremental progress here.

White Sox are bringing back Ross Detwiler (on a minor-league deal)

What? You hoped the White Sox would sign an actual starting pitcher today? Not a chance!

Instead, you will have to settle for the team signing journeyman left-hander Ross Detwiler to a minor-league deal.

Detwiler appeared in 18 games (12 starts) with the Sox in 2019, and he did little to distinguish himself. He went 3-5 with a 6.59 ERA and a 1.614 WHIP in 44 innings.

Like most fans, I had hoped the Sox were moving past guys like this, and I'm hoping this is nothing more than, "Hey, somebody's gotta pitch in Triple-A."

But then you look at the projected Sox rotation, and you can't help but wonder:

1. Lucas Giolito
2. Reynaldo Lopez
3. Dylan Cease
4. ??????
5. ??????

Yes, Michael Kopech should be ready to go when the season starts, but there are rumblings that the team will work him back into the mix slowly, maybe even starting him at Triple-A Charlotte.

In the meantime, somebody else has to fill those two spots. In the absence of another acquisition or two, we're looking at Detwiler, Dylan Covey and Carson Fulmer competing for jobs again.

That sends chills down my spine.

C'mon, Sox, sign a free agent pitcher already, will you?

Audit on bad White Sox starting pitching in 2019

Without looking it up, I was guessing the White Sox started a pitcher who didn't belong out there in about a quarter of their games. Turns out, my instinct was close to right.

Looking over the numbers, I identified 43 of 161 Sox games that were started by pitchers who probably will not be in the major leagues next season:

1. Ross Detwiler. 3-5 with a 5.84 ERA in 12 starts. The Sox went 6-6 in those games.
2. Dylan Covey. 1-7 with an 8.45 ERA in 12 starts. The Sox went 3-9 in those games.
3. Manny Banuelos. 2-4 with an 8.05 ERA in 8 starts. The Sox went 4-4 in those games.
4. Carson Fulmer. 0-1 with a 12.00 ERA in 2 starts. The Sox went 0-2 in those games.
5. Hector Santiago. 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA in 2 starts. The Sox went 0-2 in those games.
6. Ervin Santana. 0-2 with a 9.45 ERA in 3 starts. The Sox went 1-2 in those games.
7. Odrisamer Despaigne. 0-2 with a 9.45 ERA in 3 starts. The Sox went 0-3 in those games.

Add it all up, and the Sox went 15-28 in games started by these seven men. Considering the team was 17 games below .500 overall (72-89), we can see how the back end of the starting rotation was a major problem. This list above represents 13 games below .500 right there.

This needs to be fixed this offseason.

Charlotte Knights blow opportunity to go to Triple-A playoffs

If you've been watching White Sox games lately -- and you deserve a medal if you have -- you have probably noticed that the TV broadcast team of Jason Benetti and Steve Stone has been touting the potential benefits of a deep playoff run for the Sox's Triple-A affiliate, the Charlotte Knights.

It was hard not to feel as though Benetti and Stone were preparing fans for the inevitable -- the fact that top prospects were not going to be called up for September, and that "going to win a championship together" would be ideal for the better players on that Charlotte roster.

Well, guess what?

Charlotte lost eight of its last nine games and blew a four-game lead in the wild-card race over the last 10 days. So, I guess you might say the Knights had the experience of "choking together," and we can only hope the players involved will deal with the situation better should they receive such an opportunity again.

The losing streak was characterized by a three-game sweep at the hands of the Durham Bulls, the team that ultimately took the playoff spot away from Charlotte. Here's a true story: Manny Banuelos and Carson Fulmer basically blew it for the Knights.

Banuelos made a rehab start Aug. 27 and got shelled for seven earned runs over four innings. He gave up seven hits, including three home runs, as Durham beat Charlotte, 10-6.

The very next day, the Knights took a 2-1 lead into the seventh inning, only to see Fulmer come on and allow three of the four batters he faced to reach base -- two on walks and one on a hit. Two of those runners ended up scoring as Durham topped Charlotte, 3-2.

If the Knights win either of those two games, they are in the playoffs, Durham is not, and the season continues for two of the Sox's top prospects -- Luis Robert and Nick Madrigal.

Instead, Robert and Madrigal are going home without a September call-up -- money and service time are most important, you know? -- while Fulmer and Banuelos hysterically were the only two men the Sox called to the big leagues on Sept. 1.

Both these two failed pitchers were seen on the mound Monday, giving up runs as the Sox lost, 11-3, to the Cleveland Indians. With the defeat, the South Siders (60-77) tied their season-worst losing streak at seven games. Will these guys ever win a game again? It doesn't seem like it.

For the record, the Sox did make some call-ups on Tuesday now that Charlotte's season is over. Zack Collins is back, as he should be, and Danny Mendick is rightfully getting a shot. With Jon Jay going on the 60-day injured list with a hip problem, Mendick was added to the 40-man roster.

Let's hope both Collins and Mendick get some playing time from manager Rick Renteria. It would be nice to have more information on these two players going into the offseason. Can Collins be on this roster as a catcher in 2020? Is Mendick a viable option as a utility infielder? I don't know, but now is a good time to see what we can learn about these two guys.

Outfielder Daniel Palka and pitcher Dylan Covey also were recalled, in two moves that we need not get excited over. Let's just hope we don't see Covey back in the starting rotation, and let's hope we don't see Palka getting at-bats ahead of Collins.

White Sox activate Tim Anderson, recall Carson Fulmer

Tim Anderson

Tim Anderson was back in the lineup Tuesday, batting seventh and playing shortstop as the White Sox opened a three-game series against the New York Mets.

Anderson suffered a high ankle sprain June 25 in Boston and missed 26 games, during which the Sox went 10-16.

He is hitting .317/.342/.491 with 11 home runs, 37 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in 70 games this season.

Over the past week, Anderson went 8 for 23 with a home run and four RBIs in five rehab games with Triple-A Charlotte.

In addition to activating Anderson from the injured list, the Sox also optioned outfielder Ryan Cordell to Charlotte and recalled pitcher Carson Fulmer.

Fulmer, who is 1-1 with a 6.32 ERA in 13 games with the Sox this season, takes the roster spot of Dylan Covey, who was optioned after a disastrous start against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.

Anderson takes Cordell's roster spot.

I was thinking Anderson would simply take Covey's spot, and that Cordell would hang on until Saturday when the Sox next need a fifth starting pitcher. Instead, the Sox want an extra arm for this series against the Mets.

Not to mention, the July 31 trading deadline is Wednesday, and it just so happens the Sox player most likely to be sold off (Alex Colome) is a reliever, so perhaps the team wants Fulmer already in town in case that move happens.

Palka to Charlotte; Giolito to IL; Cordell excels; Fulmer flops

The White Sox on Wednesday optioned outfielder Daniel Palka to Triple-A Charlotte, just hours after he broke an 0-for-32 slump with a broken-bat single in a 4-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals.

Of course, Palka also grounded into a double play with the bases loaded and one out in a tie game in the bottom of the eighth inning, and he also made the final out of the game in the bottom of the 10th -- making weak contact in both at-bats.

It was time to send him down. Past time, in fact.

Amid all the Tim Anderson controversy, it was almost forgotten that pitcher Lucas Giolito had to leave Wednesday's game in the third inning with left hamstring tightness. It was unfortunate, because Giolito had his good stuff working. He had not allowed a hit and struck out five through 2.2 innings.

These two roster moves allowed Ryan Cordell and Carson Fulmer to return from Charlotte for Thursday's game in Detroit, a 9-7 White Sox loss. 

Cordell started in right field batting ninth, and went 3 for 4 with his second home run of the season, which briefly gave the Sox a 5-4 lead in the seventh inning. On this blog, we previously endorsed Cordell's recall from Charlotte, although I had suggested he replace Adam Engel, not Palka.

In any case, Cordell seems to be the best of the bad options in the Sox outfield right now. He's swinging the bat better than Palka, Engel or Nicky Delmonico, who is at Charlotte.

As we've stated before, Cordell should not be seen as a long-term solution to anything, and as a Sox fan, I long for the day when we aren't talking about shuffling through a bunch of never-will-be outfielders. But, this is the situation right now, and the Sox need to give the playing time to the man who is doing the best job.

At the moment, that's Cordell. Give it a week, and it might be someone else's turn.

As for Fulmer, he found himself on the mound in the eighth inning of a 7-7 game Thursday, and he gave up two runs and lost it on a single, two hit batters and two sacrifice flies. Fulmer continued his longstanding habit of giving things away by loading the bases with the two hit batsmen.

I didn't really like Fulmer being on the mound in that situation on his first day back in the bigs, but in fairness to Sox manager Rick Renteria, he lacks good options in the bullpen.

For me, Fulmer is a symbol of why the Sox rebuild has stagnated. The rebuild proponents want to the team to tank again for draft position this season, but the thing is, the Sox haven't done a good job with their first-round draft picks, of which Fulmer is one.

He's out of options, and this might be his last kick at the can with the Sox organization. Can a rebuild really work for an organization that a) doesn't draft well and b) doesn't want to spend in free agency?

It doesn't look good. The Sox (7-12) lost 100 games last season; they are on pace for 99 losses this season. As a friend texted me this afternoon, "This just keeps getting worse." 

Carlos Rodon gets Opening Day start for White Sox

Carlos Rodon

The White Sox on Monday announced that left-hander Carlos Rodon will start the season opener March 28 on the road against the Kansas City Royals.

According to a report on whitesox.com, Rodon will be followed by Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito and Ivan Nova in the starting rotation. Manny Banuelos and Ervin Santana are competing for the No. 5 spot.

For the first time in a couple years, Rodon is healthy and ready to begin the season on the active roster. After experiencing shoulder problems at the end of the 2017 season, he started the 2018 campaign on the disabled list before returning to make 20 starts, going 6-8 with a 4.18 ERA, 90 strikeouts and 55 walks in 120.2 innings pitched.

Rodon, 26, has made three starts this spring, allowing seven runs on nine hits with eight strikeouts in 12.1 innings pitched. He figures to get one more Cactus League outing before the first performance that counts.

Bummer, Fulmer optioned to Charlotte

The Sox announced four roster moves before Monday's 5-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants. 

Left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer and former first-round draft pick Carson Fulmer were optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. Outfielder Charlie Tilson and left-handed pitcher Colton Turner were reassigned to minor league camp.

Of the four, Bummer had the best chance to make the club, but seven walks in nine innings and a spring ERA of 12.00 earns a pitcher a demotion, for sure.

The Sox are 7-14-2 this spring after the loss to the Giants. They have lost four in a row.

White Sox settle for three out of five vs. Kansas City Royals

When is it unsatisfying to win three out of five games in another team's ballpark? When you win the first three, then lose the last two.

Bruce Chen

That was the case this weekend for the White Sox against the Kansas City Royals, but given the Sox's 8-18 overall record, we probably should be happy they finally won a series -- regardless of circumstances or opponent.

Here's a look back at what has happened since we left off:

Friday, April 27
White Sox 7, Royals 4 (11 inn.): Once again, Matt Davidson won a game for the Sox in Kansas City. He went 2 for 5 with two home runs and three RBIs, including a two-run blast in the top of the 11th inning that gave the Sox the lead for good.

Davidson has hit seven home runs at Kauffman Stadium this season -- a new record for a Royals' opponent -- and it's only April 30.

For the season, Davidson is slashing .462/.563/1.308 with seven home runs and 12 RBIs in seven games and 32 plate appearances in the Royals' home ballpark.

I'm guessing Davidson will have the dates Sept. 10-12 circled on his calendar. Those are the remaining three games the Sox have in Kansas City this season.

For several years, the Royals had a mediocre-at-best pitcher named Bruce Chen who owned White Sox hitters. I see Davidson's mastery of the Royals as a sort of payback for Chen.

Davidson is a mediocre-at-best hitter, but he suddenly turns into a dominant force at the sight of Kansas City uniforms. The Sox and their fans have been on the wrong end of this kind of ownership in the past, so we'll take it.

Saturday, April 28
White Sox 8-2, Royals 0-5: Most doubleheaders are split, and this one was no exception.

Surprisingly, Carson Fulmer (2-1) became the first Sox pitcher to reach two wins by tossing seven shutout innings. He allowed four hits, struck out three and walked three. It was a nice display of competence by the right-hander, even if it came against a horrible Kansas City team.

Daniel Palka collected not only his first big-league hit but his first big-league home run, as well, as he went 4 for 5 with three runs scored and three RBIs in the Game 1 win. For the first time this season, the Sox won three in a row.

Naturally, that did not carry over into Game 2, as the Sox were baffled by Kansas City left-hander Eric Skoglund. After Tim Anderson's leadoff homer, Skoglund allowed only hit the rest of his outing as he got through seven innings with a 4-1 lead.

The erstwhile Dylan Covey (0-1) was called up from Triple-A Charlotte to pitch for the Sox, and predictably, he took the loss. Although, to be fair, he ate up six innings and only one of the four runs he allowed was earned.

Sunday, April 29
Royals 5, White Sox 4: This was the most disappointing game of the series, as the Sox squandered an early 2-0 lead that came courtesy of a two-run double by Palka in the fourth inning.

Hector Santiago and Chris Volstad both gave up home runs to Kansas City's Cheslor Cuthbert, who had not previously homered this season. Cuthbert hit a solo shot off Santiago in the fourth and a three-run blast off Volstad in the fifth that gave the Royals a 4-2 lead.

The Sox battled back to tie with a run in the sixth on a triple by Leury Garcia and a run in the seventh on a two-out RBI double by Nick Delmonico. The latter hit scored Jose Abreu, who was hit by a pitch and stole second base.

However, the Sox could not complete the comeback, as Bruce Rondon (1-1) hit the leadoff batter in the bottom of the eighth inning, and the Royals ended up scoring the go-ahead and eventually winning run on a single by Sox nemesis Whit Merrifield.

I guess we couldn't get through a five-game series in Kansas City without Merrifield doing something to beat the Sox at least once, huh?