Carlos Rodon does not receive qualifying offer from White Sox

Carlos Rodon

Left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon did not receive an $18.4 million qualifying offer from the White Sox on Sunday, meaning he will become a free agent.

Rodon, 28, had the best season of his career in 2021, going 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA in 24 starts. He was selected to the All-Star Game for the first time in his seven-year career and pitched a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians on April 14.

Sox general manager Rick Hahn said during his end-of-season press conference Friday that the team would like to find a way to bring Rodon back, but clearly, that $18.4 million price tag is too high for a pitcher with Rodon's injury history.

Even in this, his best season, shoulder problems limited Rodon to 132.2 innings -- and that was the most innings he's pitched since 2016. If he had been 100% healthy at the end of the season, he probably would have been the Sox's Game 1 starter in the ALDS. Alas, the balky shoulder kept him off the mound until Game 4, and he went only 2.2 innings in a season-ending 10-1 loss to the Houston Astros.

Educated guess here: Rodon will be elsewhere in 2022.

That's because Hahn also stated Friday that Michael Kopech will be moving into the starting rotation next season. Kopech would join Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Dylan Cease and Dallas Keuchel. Unless there's a trade in the works, there's no room for Rodon.

A few other notes and thoughts from Hahn's press conference:

What to do with Vaughn and Sheets?

According to an article from James Fegan in The Athletic, Hahn said, "We feel very bullish on the futures of Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets. We envision them playing significant roles on multiple White Sox clubs going forward. We will spend some time over the next few months figuring out what is the best fit for them in 2022. Could be DH possibilities, right-field possibilities. They’re both natural first basemen and we’ve seen how quickly Andrew acclimated to left field. They provided us with good options and flexibility.”

Let me say this: I don't mind Vaughn and Sheets rotating with Jose Abreu and Eloy Jimenez in some sort of time share at first base, designated hitter and in left field.  

Abreu is entering his age-35 season, and if we're being honest, he ran out of gas in 2021. He homered only twice after Sept. 1, and dealt with numerous nagging injuries. It would be beneficial for him to DH more. He should still play every day, but fewer games at first base are in order. Vaughn and Sheets can fill in.

Vaughn has shown me that he's better in left field than Jimenez. I have no problem whatsoever giving Vaughn some starts in left and using Jimenez as a DH.

BUT, I don't want to see a right field time share involving Vaughn and Sheets. I don't think either of them are good defenders at that position, and Sheets is downright poor. The Sox have ignored defense far too often over the course of my lifetime.

Sign an actual outfielder to play right field, please.

Coaches back, but Allen Thomas is not

Manager Tony La Russa will return in 2022, along with his entire coaching staff. However, the Sox have parted ways with director of conditioning Allen Thomas, who had been in that role for 18 years. Thomas worked for the Sox for a total of 27 years.

The Sox seemingly lead the world in hamstring injuries -- Tim Anderson and Adam Engel had multiple issues in 2021. And Luis Robert and Nick Madrigal suffered catastrophic leg injuries performing the simple act of running out a ground ball.

Hahn said the Sox would be "reimagining" the strength and conditioning department this offseason. I don't know what the hell that means, but in the abstract, I endorse taking a hard look at training techniques after long-term injuries to key players threw a wrench in the season for the Sox.

Catching situation

I wasn't happy with the backup catchers on the Sox roster this year. Seby Zavala can't hit, and while his pitch calling and framing are decent-to-good, his pitch blocking is terrible. Zack Collins is supposed to be a hitter, but he's yet to prove that to me. And I don't have anything nice to say about his defense, frankly.

The Sox really had some problems when Yasmani Grandal had to sit in July and August with a knee injury.

Here's what Hahn said, again in an article from Fegan on The Athletic:

“(Collins and Zavala) both grew from the experience and they both are viable options next year. Obviously with Yasmani as valuable as he is offensively, as well as when healthy, what we get out of him from a defensive standpoint behind the plate, you want to do what you can to protect him and to have him viable over the course of the entire six months, much less into October. So having a backup that we have confidence in and can be a suitable sub for Yasmani when the needed breaks arise, would be of good benefit to us. Certainly have the internal options, we think they’re going to continue to get better and we’ll see how the offseason unfolds.”

Not to be a jerk, but these "internal options" stink. Sign a backup catcher this offseason.

White Sox make six roster moves ahead of series with Angels

Lucas Giolito

The White Sox open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. Here are six roster moves that were made in advance of this series:

1. Pitcher Lucas Giolito has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.
2. Shortstop Tim Anderson has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.
3. Catcher Zack Collins has been recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.
4. Outfielder Andrew Vaughn has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Sept. 10, with lower back inflammation.
5. Infielder Danny Mendick has been optioned to Triple-A Charlotte.
6. Catcher Seby Zavala has been optioned to Triple-A Charlotte.

Giolito is expected to be the starting pitcher Tuesday night. It's reasonable to assume Anderson will be in his customary leadoff spot for the series opener.

Vaughn was unavailable for the weekend series against the Boston Red Sox, and he's mired in a 4-for-50 freefall over his past 13 games. The rookie clearly needs a rest.

The Sox obviously want to take a longer look at Romy Gonzalez as a backup infielder. He's sticking on the roster over Mendick.

Why the catcher shuffle, you ask? Well, Collins was sent to the minors Sept. 1. As long as he was brought back within 21 days, the Sox would avoid burning his third and final option. So, he's back, and he'll still have an option remaining for the 2022 season.

Collins certainly did not distinguish himself during his two weeks in Charlotte. He batted .143/.211/.400.

Zavala, meanwhile, has only one hit in his last 22 at-bats with the Sox, so neither man is an inspiring option as a backup catcher.

Pray Yasmani Grandal stays healthy for the playoffs.

Zack Collins delivers for White Sox ... and is it time to send Garrett Crochet to the minors?

The White Sox salvaged only one win from a three-game weekend series against the Seattle Mariners. 

Saturday's game was suspended with no score in the bottom of the third inning, and when the two teams picked it back up Sunday, the Mariners won, 3-2. 

The regularly scheduled game Sunday was reduced to seven innings, and the Sox won 7-5.

It's been a rocky road for the Sox of late, as they have lost seven of their past nine games. But, they are still 2.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central. Their record is 45-32.

Five points from Sunday's action:

1. Zack Collins delivers offensively. Collins was touted as a good-hitting catcher when the Sox drafted him No. 10 overall in 2016, but sadly, we've seen little of that during his time in the organization. He entered Sunday's action with a .212/.316/.343 slash line -- and only nine extra-base hits in 115 plate appearances. But Collins delivered in Sunday's second game, going 2 for 4 with two doubles and four RBIs. His bases-loaded double with two outs in the fourth inning took a 4-1 Sox lead up to 7-1. Good thing, because they needed that cushion.

2. Garrett Crochet is in crisis. The rookie left-hander is struggling for the first time in his professional career. In his past three outings, Crochet has faced 11 batters. He's retired only two of them, and he's given up six runs. His ERA has jumped from 0.81 to 3.13. Worse, in Game 2, he walked the bases loaded. Two of those free passes came to left-handed batters, whom Crochet should be dominating. I don't know if Crochet is injured, or simply suffering a crisis of confidence, but I wouldn't be opposed if the Sox decided to send him to Charlotte to work out his command issues. Jace Fry can fill in as the second lefty in the bullpen for the time being.

3. Enough with the injuries already. Jose Abreu exited the first game after getting drilled in the kneecap by a 96 mph fastball from Seattle reliever JT Chargois. Abreu was in obvious pain and had to be helped off the field. Thankfully, initial X-rays were negative for any fractures, but it's once again hold-your-breath time for Sox fans. The injured list is already full for the Sox -- Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, Nick Madrigal, Adam Eaton, Adam Engel, Billy Hamilton. At some point, all these games lost to injury are going to affect a team's record, and I think that's a big reason the Sox have been reeling as of late.

4. Can someone take the pressure off Liam Hendriks? The closer was used in both ends of the doubleheader. He took the loss in Game 1, surrendering a home run to Taylor Trammell in the top of the ninth. It would have been nice if he could have taken Game 2 off, and the Sox were in position to give him a break. They led 7-1 after five innings of the seven-inning game. But Jimmy Lambert, on recall as the 27th man, surrendered four runs over 1.1 innings. Hendriks was summoned to get the final two outs which he did, to record his league-best 20th save in 23 opportunities. Hendriks has now appeared in 35 of the first 77 games. Aaron Bummer is second on the club in appearances with 32. 

5. Hey! Yermin Mercedes! The erstwhile designated hitter had a two-run double and an RBI infield single in the second game. Just getting something, anything out of Mercedes these days is helpful, especially if Abreu is destined for the injured list.

White Sox complete three-game sweep of Royals

Carlos Rodon

The White Sox kicked off a stretch of 13 straight games against AL Central opponents in strong fashion this weekend, sweeping three games against the Royals in Kansas City.

Coming into the series, it appeared the Sox had the edge in the pitching matchup in all three games, and they took advantage, just as you would hope they would do. They outscored the Royals 21-4 in the series, and at 19-13, the Sox now lead the Cleveland Indians by one game in the AL Central race.

Kansas City (16-17) has lost eight consecutive games and has fallen 3.5 games off the division lead.

Let's take a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, May 7

White Sox 3, Royals 0: If anyone tells you they expected greatness from Carlos Rodon this season, they are lying. Rodon was considered the No. 5 pitcher in the rotation when the year started, but right now, he's the best the Sox have. He's started five games, and he's 5-0 with a 0.58 ERA.

Rodon has not allowed more than one run in any start yet this season. And he's allowed no more than five hits in any of those games. The left-hander did allow five hits in this game over six scoreless innings, but he struck out eight and didn't walk anybody. 

The three runs the Sox scored for him, highlighted by Zack Collins' second home run of the season, ended up being enough.

But getting back to Rodon, he is the first pitcher since Pedro Martinez in 2000 to allow five hits or less in each of his first five starts of the season. That was Martinez at his Hall of Fame peak, so that tells you what a good stretch Rodon has had.  

Saturday, May 8

White Sox 9, Royals 1: The Sox have made a habit of feasting on left-handed starters in recent times, and Royals rookie Daniel Lynch -- making his second MLB start -- got blown to bits in this game.

The Sox sent 13 men to the plate in the first inning and scored eight runs. Lynch recorded only two outs, while being charged with eight earned runs on seven hits. Highlighting in the rally: a two-run double by Yoan Moncada, a sacrifice fly by Yasmani Grandal, an RBI double by Andrew Vaughn, an RBI triple by Leury Garcia, a two-run homer by Danny Mendick and another RBI single by Moncada.

That was pretty much the game. Sox starter Lance Lynn walked four over five innings, so he wasn't overly sharp with his control. But he only allowed one hit, and he easily improved to 3-1 with the big lead.

Sunday, May 9

White Sox 9, Royals 3: Hey, a win with Lucas Giolito on the mound! Giolito (2-3) wasn't his sharpest -- he only went five innings and had just two strikeouts. But he only allowed a run in the first inning.

The Sox quickly bounced back with three in the second and two in the third to take an early 5-1 lead, and the Royals never came close to getting back in the game. 

The South Siders are 21-1 against lefty starters since the start of the 2020 season, and they avenged the only loss by tagging Kansas City starter Mike Minor for those five runs.

Jose Abreu and Yermin Mercedes each had two hits and three RBIs to lead a 10-hit attack for the Sox.

Also of note on the pitching side, lefty reliever Aaron Bummer retired all five batters he faced, three of them by strikeout.

White Sox roster news: Zack Collins and Yermin Mercedes are in; Jonathan Lucroy is out

Jonathan Lucroy

Veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy will not make the 2021 White Sox roster. The 34-year-old asked for and was granted his release from a minor league contract, according to reports.

It sure seems like catcher Zack Collins is on the roster. First off, Collins has had a good spring, slashing .295/.380/.523 with three home runs and six RBIs. Most importantly, he's cut his strikeout rate. He's only struck out six times while also walking six times in 50 plate appearances.

Secondly, fortune smiled on Collins with left fielder Eloy Jimenez suffering a torn pectoral tendon that will sideline him for five months. Now, Andrew Vaughn, the presumed DH to start the season, is being tried in left field. That opens the door for DH at-bats for Collins, when he's not catching. 

It also sounds like Yermin Mercedes is on the club as a third catcher and DH, according to reports. Mercedes has slashed .283/.340/.348 this spring, and could be the right-handed half of a platoon with the left-handed Collins.

The Sox also are reportedly picking up infielder Jake Lamb, if he clears waivers and pending a physical. Lamb was in spring camp with the Atlanta Braves, but did not make the club. He's a left-handed hitter who can play first or third base.

All right, that's a lot to digest. But first let's talk about Collins. It's now or never for him. He's 26 years old, and he's been in the Sox organization since he was picked 10th overall in the first round of the 2016 draft. He's getting close to that line where he's too old to be considered a prospect anymore.

The Sox have invested a lot in him, and at some point they have to find out whether he can help them. I'm not a big believer in Collins, but at this time, there's no clear data about him one way or the other. What can you tell from 120 sporadic plate appearances at the major league level? There are no clearly superior options in camp for a second catcher -- Lucroy didn't meet that standard -- so it's time to find out once and for all whether Collins can play.

We know the Sox will carry 13 pitchers and 12 position players. The Opening Day roster hasn't been announced yet, but let's hazard a guess:

Starting lineup:

1. Tim Anderson, SS
2. Adam Eaton, RF
   
3. Jose Abreu, 1B
4. Yoan Moncada, 3B
5. Yasmani Grandal, C
   
6. Luis Robert, CF
   
7. Collins, DH
   
8. Vaughn, LF
   
9. Nick Madrigal, 2B

Bench players: Leury Garcia IF/OF, Mercedes, C/DH and ??????.

Will it be Lamb? Infielder Danny Mendick? Maybe outfielder Billy Hamilton? I'll guess Lamb. I don't think they picked him up to send him to the alternate site. And he's likely the left-handed fallback option if Collins fails.

White Sox add catcher Jonathan Lucroy on a minor-league deal

Jonathan Lucroy

Somebody is better than nobody, right?

The White Sox added a potential option as a backup catcher on Thursday when they agreed to terms with Jonathan Lucroy on a minor-league deal.

Lucroy, 34, was one of the best hitting catchers in baseball from 2011 to 2016. His career peaked in 2014, when he finished fourth in National League MVP voting as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. He slashed .301/.373/.465 with a league-best 53 doubles and 13 home runs that season.

Obviously, Father Time has been knocking louder the past few seasons. Lucroy only appeared in one game in 2020 with the Boston Red Sox. In 2019, he split time between the Los Angeles Angels and the Cubs, batting .232/.305/.355 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs in 101 games.

I don't know how much Lucroy has left, but the Sox very clearly need a veteran backup to Yasmani Grandal. We all knew James McCann was going to leave for greener pastures this offseason -- and a full-time starting job -- and he's with the New York Mets now.

That left the Sox with Zack Collins, Yermin Mercedes and Seby Zavala as catchers on the 40-man roster. All are deeply flawed, and none of them can be trusted for a couple of weeks if, say, Grandal's back acts up -- as it did at one point during the 2020 season.

The hope has to be that Grandal is healthy to catch 125 games, and Lucroy can slot in there for 35 to 40 games, bat .230 and give the Sox credible receiving skills. The Sox don't need much offense from their backup catcher -- they have plenty of other people who are supposed to hit -- but they do need someone with a decent defensive reputation who can handle pitchers.

Lucroy has been that guy in the past. Fingers crossed he can do it for one more season. Wouldn't have been my first choice, but again, somebody is better than nobody.

James McCann headed to New York Mets on four-year deal

James McCann

A previous post this week talked a lot about White Sox general manager Rick Hahn's horrible free agent signings, so let's bring up one of his better ones: James McCann.

After two productive seasons in Chicago, McCann is heading to the New York Mets on a four-year, $40 million contract.

This is a really good turn of events for McCann, who was non-tendered by the 98-loss Detroit Tigers after the 2018 season. The Sox picked him up on a one-year, $2.5 million scrap-heap deal, and McCann responded by making the All-Star team in 2019.

In his first season with the Sox, McCann batted .273/.328/.460 with 18 home runs and 60 RBIs in 118 games. McCann didn't have the greatest framing statistics in the world as the Sox's primary catcher, but the offensive production was good.

Still, the Sox were understandably unconvinced that McCann was the long-term answer behind the plate. What if 2019 was just a career year for McCann? So, Hahn jumped at the opportunity to sign Yasmani Grandal to a four-year, $73 million contract last November.

McCann was brought back on another one-year deal, and he and Grandal formed an effective one-two punch behind the plate for the Sox in 2020.

Even with limited playing time, McCann produced. He batted .289/.360/.536 with seven home runs and 15 RBIs in 31 games. He did not complain about his diminished role and often was praised for his leadership. And he became the personal catcher for Sox ace Lucas Giolito, who provided a 2020 season highlight by throwing a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 25.

But with Grandal in the fold for the long haul, the writing was on the wall for McCann. He sees himself as a starting catcher, and he's proven over the past two years with the Sox that he deserves a shot to be the No. 1 guy. He was not going to get that in Chicago.

He'll get that opportunity in New York. As Sox fans, we wish we could have the Grandal-McCann tandem behind the plate for another few years, but realistically, that was never going to be cost-effective.

You're not going to pay McCann $10 million a year to catch twice a week, and you can't blame the Sox for not being interested in matching an offer like that. You simply thank McCann for a job well done and wish him well with the Mets.

In the meantime, the Sox need a second catcher. The internal options are suspect: Zack Collins, Yermin Mercedes and Seby Zavala. We talked about these guys before: Collins and Mercedes have hit at the Triple-A level, but both are subpar defensively. Zavala is a good receiver, and a good catch-and-throw guy, but it's unlikely he'll ever hit well enough to stick in the major leagues.

So, do the Sox go outside the organization? If the answer is yes, here are your options in free agency: Jason Castro, Robinson Chirinos, Tyler Flowers, Sandy Leon, Yadier Molina, Kurt Suzuki and Mike Zunino.

Do we like anybody on that list? 

Designated hitter situation likely bottomed out for White Sox in 2020

Edwin Encarnacion

When you look at the 2019 numbers for the White Sox, it's clear that designated hitter was a huge weakness for their offense. Luminaries such as Yonder Alonso, AJ Reed and Matt Skole combined to post an ugly .205/.285/.356 slash line with 17 home runs and 75 RBIs over the course of the 162-game season.

Obviously, designated hitter is a bat-only position, so there is no baseball universe where a .641 OPS is acceptable at that spot.

Last offseason, Sox general manager Rick Hahn correctly identified this weakness and signed Edwin Encarnacion to fill the void. On paper, there was nothing wrong with that decision. Encarnacion had 414 career home runs coming into the 2020 season, and from 2012 to 2019, he had hit 32 or more home runs every year.

And while Encarnacion was entering his age-37 season, he was hardly a liability in 2019 as a 36-year-old. He hit 34 home runs, drove in 86 runs and posted an .875 OPS in 109 games.

Sure, there was one warning sign: In his final six playoff games of 2019 with the New York Yankees, Encarnacion went 1 for 22 with 11 strikeouts, no doubt contributing to the Yankees being eliminated by the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series.

Still, you could have argued that slumps happen, and perhaps Encarnacion had simply gone in a funk at the wrong time. The body of work suggested that he would easily clear the low bar set by White Sox designated hitters in 2019.

So, Hahn signed Encarnacion to a one-year, $12 million deal, with a club option for 2021 -- also for $12 million.

Umm, that option will not be picked up in probably the easiest decision Hahn faces this offseason. That's because Encarnacion somehow managed to lower an already low bar for Sox DHs. While he did hit 10 home runs in 44 games in 2020, his final season slash line was a terrible .157/.250/.377.

Encarnacion's strikeout rate jumped from 21.2% to 29.8%, and whenever a man produces only 19 RBIs while being allowed to hit fourth or fifth in the batting order all season, well, that's what Steve Stone would call a "dismal" year. 

If you include all players who served as DH this season, the Sox's slash line at the position finished at .148/.238/.350. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, it did, and clearly, Encarnacion was the main culprit. 

It would be revisionist history to criticize the signing of Encarnacion, which seemed reasonable at the time. Furthermore, there is no buyout of his option, so the club can cut ties for nothing this offseason.

But here's where I will criticize the Sox: By about the halfway point of the 60-game season, it was apparent that Encarnacion had little or no bat speed left. Of his 10 home runs, only one came on a pitch of 93 mph or greater. Even casual observers could see that he couldn't handle high velocity anymore, but Sox brass lived in denial, claimed otherwise and continued to trot him out there game after game.

By the time the playoffs rolled around, it was clear that Encarnacion was not useful, and too many at-bats had been wasted on him. Could Zack Collins have helped the Sox in the playoffs as a DH? How about Andrew Vaughn, the top hitting prospect in the organization? 

We'll never know, because the Sox did not give many meaningful at-bats to Collins this season, and Vaughn spent all of his time at the team's alternate training site in Schaumburg.

Would it have killed the Sox to call up either Collins or Vaughn for the last two weeks of the regular season, give them some playing time and find out whether they were more useful than Encarnacion? I don't believe so, and I wish they would have done that. 

One of the key problems with the Sox is their insistence on sticking with struggling veterans for too long -- especially hitters. If a veteran hitter isn't setting a reasonable floor at a particular spot, what does it hurt to try a higher-ceiling young player at the position?

All Collins or Vaughn would have had to do is hit .180, and the spot would have been upgraded. There comes a time to find out what you have with certain players.

It sounds as though Vaughn will inherit Encarnacion's roster spot next season. He's a first baseman, so he and Jose Abreu will probably work in some sort of time share between first base and DH. You'd like to think those two players will combine for better than a .588 OPS, which is what the Sox got from their DHs in 2020.

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

Here are the 44 players coming to White Sox camp

The White Sox will report to Guaranteed Rate Field on Friday for their 2020 summer camp, ahead of the anticipated July 24 opening of the season.

As many as 60 players can participate, but for now, the Sox are bringing 44. Additional players eventually will be added to bring the roster to the full complement of 60, but general manager Rick Hahn says those players will not report until mid-July.

Thirty players will make up the Opening Day roster, while the remainder will make up a "taxi squad," which will conduct workouts elsewhere in Chicago to stay ready in the event of an injury or a COVID-19 infection. It is anticipated that no minor league baseball will be played this summer.

For now, let's take a look at the 44 players, position by position:

Catchers (4): Yasmani Grandal, James McCann, Zack Collins, Yermin Mercedes

Comments: Grandal and McCann are roster locks, if healthy, and it remains to be seen whether the Sox want to use either Collins or Mercedes as a bench bat. Collins has the advantage of being a left-handed hitter, and of having had previous major league experience. Mercedes was impressive in March and played his way into the conversation.

Infielders (10): Jose Abreu, Leury Garcia, Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Edwin Encarnacion, Andrew Vaughn, Andrew Romine, Danny Mendick, Nick Madrigal, Cheslor Cuthbert

Comments: If healthy (a common phrase right now), Abreu, Anderson and Moncada are entrenched starters. Let's include Encarnacion in the entrenched starters group, as he will be the primary designated hitter. But what about second base? Garcia will be on the club as a super-utility guy, and the guess here is he starts the season at second base. The Sox will hold Madrigal back for a week for service time reasons. One week of sitting him out is all they need to retain another year of team control. Vaughn is a great prospect, but there are no at-bats for him right now at the big league level. Romine is a Quad-A extra who could see time in the event of an injury. Will Mendick make the 30-man roster, or will the Sox carry extra pitching? We'll see.

Outfielders (6): Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, Nomar Mazara, Adam Engel, Nicky Delmonico, Luis Alexander Basabe

Comments: We know the starters, if healthy, are Jimenez, Robert and Mazara. We know Engel is the extra outfielder, and we know Garcia provides extra depth when he's not playing infield. Delmonico is on the roster bubble. He was impressive in March, but he has a thin track record against major league pitching. Basabe's inclusion shows the Sox view him as the most rosterable among the remaining outfield prospects not named Robert.

Starting pitchers (9): Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Dylan Cease, Gio Gonzalez, Michael Kopech, Carlos Rodon, Dane Dunning, Jimmy Lambert

Comments: Kopech and Rodon should be completely recovered and ready to go after elbow surgeries. Neither man was expected to be on the Opening Day roster had the season started as scheduled, but now we figure to see both in the Sox's rotation. Gonzalez may no longer be needed as a starter, since he was viewed as a stopgap to get the Sox through the April, May and June. Still, he's a veteran presence, so he'll be on the team, perhaps as a long reliever. Only Dunning and Lambert, two others who are coming off elbow surgery, figure to not make the Opening Day roster. Suddenly, the Sox have seven starting pitchers to choose from.

Relief pitchers (15): Alex Colome, Aaron Bummer, Jimmy Cordero, Jace Fry, Kelvin Herrera, Steve Cishek, Carson Fulmer, Evan Marshall, Jose Ruiz, Ian Hamilton, Ross Detwiler, Codi Heuer, Tayron Guerrero, Tyler Johnson, Drew Anderson

Comments: Will they carry eight relievers? Perhaps nine? Maybe even 10? I guess it depends on how much they want to protect their starting pitchers, who probably won't be ready to pitch deep into ballgames right at the start of the season. The roster locks, if healthy, are Colome, Bummer, Cordero, Fry, Herrera, Cishek and Marshall. There's seven. At the start of the year, we thought Fulmer would get one more kick at the can because he's out of options. Maybe that's still true. Heuer impressed in Arizona in March and is a dark horse to make the roster.

Notable omissions: RHP Zack Burdi, C Seby Zavala, OF Micker Adolfo, OF Blake Rutherford, OF Luis Gonzalez, LHP Garrett Crochet, RHP Jared Kelley

Comments: Any or all of these guys could be added when the roster fills out to 60. It's a surprise Burdi isn't in the mix in the first group, just because so much has been invested in the former first-round pick. I figure Zavala will eventually come on board. What if two of the other four catchers get the coronavirus? Wouldn't it be nice to have a good defensive catcher such as Zavala hanging around? I believe so. As we said in the outfielders section, evidently Basabe is more highly regarded that the other fringy outfield prospects, all of whom I included on this list. Crochet and Kelley are the Sox's top two draft picks. Is there any plan for them this year? Crochet, in particular, could contribute immediately as a reliever, depending on how the Sox want to develop him.

Everyone else has a top 10 White Sox prospects list -- why shouldn't I?

Luis Robert

This is the time of year when we see a lot of publications updating their prospects lists, both for individual teams and the league in general.

The White Sox have a top-heavy farm system, and the higher-end guys figure to graduate to the majors sometime in 2020. No. 1 to No. 4 on their prospect list seems obvious to most people. It's those spots from No. 5 to No. 10 that are the subject of debate.

Since everyone else seems to be taking a kick at the can at how these guys should rate, why shouldn't I throw my two cents in? Here are my top 10 Sox prospects going into the 2020 season:

1. Luis Robert, CF. Duh, right? Robert will not be on these lists much longer. He will start the season as the Opening Day center fielder in Chicago. He's the consensus top prospect in the organization, and he ranks anywhere from No. 2 to No. 6 when you see rankings of the top prospects in all of baseball.

I wish Robert would have been called to the majors last season. His tools are insane -- power, speed, defense, throwing arm -- there's nothing to complain about in any of those areas. The main problem for Robert is he remains a bit of a wild swinger, and I expect MLB pitchers to exploit that early in his career. Eventually, he'll make the adjustment, but I wanted that learning curve to start in 2019, during games that were inconsequential in the standings.

Now, Robert will have to learn in the 2020 season, during which the Sox have expectations of being much more competitive. We'll see how he holds up. Certainly, there's nothing left to prove in minor-league levels. Robert hit .328/.376/.624 with 32 home runs and 36 steals across three levels last year. Yep, he's ready for his shot.

2. Michael Kopech, RHP. Kopech is a year and a half removed from elbow surgery. His fastball is back where it should be, sitting between 95 and 100 mph. Will the command be there after such a long layoff from competitive ball? Maybe not, but given Kopech's big fastball and his quality secondary pitches -- including a slider and a change -- I don't have any doubt he's one of the five best starting pitchers the Sox have.

But, the Sox will show "an abundance of caution" with Kopech. He's going to start the year in Triple-A Charlotte, but I don't expect him to be there for long. I'd be stunned if he isn't in Chicago by June 1, assuming good health. Even though the Sox insist that Kopech isn't on an innings limit this season, we know they aren't going to overtax him, so I just assume he throw his innings with the Sox later in the season, as opposed to early in the cold, rainy weather in April.

3. Andrew Vaughn, 1B. The third overall pick in the 2019 draft hit his first spring training home run on Friday, and he appears slated to start the season in Double-A Birmingham. Vaughn put up monstrous numbers over three collegiate seasons at California; his career slash line there was .374/.495/.688.

Unlike some other Sox prospects, Vaughn seems willing to take a walk. He had a .384 OBP in 55 games in the Sox's minor-league system in 2019. He has a simple swing and a disciplined approach that will make pitchers work. Obviously, as someone who is limited to first base as a defender, he'll have to hit to stick in the majors. But there's no reason to believe he won't. Maybe we'll see him at the end of 2020, or in 2021.

4. Nick Madrigal, 2B. He won't hit for power, no, but I'm not sure why I should be concerned about that. In a projected lineup that includes Jose Abreu, Eloy Jimenez, Robert, Edwin Encarnacion, Yoan Moncada and Yasmani Grandal, do the Sox need Madrigal to hit balls off the wall and over it? Not in my world.

I'd make Madrigal the starting second baseman from Opening Day on this season. He can field the position at an elite level, and he almost never strikes out -- you may have heard he only struck out 16 times in 532 plate appearances in 2019. He hit .311/.377/.414 across three levels last season, so I don't think there's a whole heckuva lot for him to prove in the minors. I hope the Sox don't send him back to the minors for service time reasons. We should be past that point in the rebuild.

5. Jonathan Stiever, RHP. I'm always wary of hyping guys over 10 or 12 good starts, but I ended up putting Stiever at No. 5 on this list mostly because his good health (knock on wood) separates him from other Sox prospects. Stiever had a rough start to 2019 at Class-A Kannapolis, where he went 4-6 with a 4.74 ERA in 14 starts.

But something clicked when Stiever got promoted to High-A Winston-Salem, where he went 6-4 with a 2.15 ERA across 12 starts. Stiever's fastball sits in the low 90s, and he's got a good curve. His slider and change are just average, so can he develop a third pitch? And are the gains he made last season sustainable? Stiever figures to start the season in Double-A Birmingham.

6. Dane Dunning, RHP. I had thoughts of putting Dunning at No. 5 on this list, because I'm reasonable certain he'll contribute at the MLB level once he gets healthy. I don't think he has the upside Stiever has, however, and these lists often are about upside. Dunning is recovering from Tommy John surgery and hopes to return to affiliated ball by about June 1.

We could see Dunning in Chicago by the second half of this season. While he's not going to overpower anybody, he has three pitches he can throw for strikes, and well, that's something. A lot of times, guys can stick at the back of the rotation if they can consistently pound the zone with multiple pitches.

7. Luis Alexander Basabe, OF. Basabe's breakout 2018 that saw him hit 15 home runs and earn a spot in the Futures Game has not been forgotten, despite an injury-plagued 2019 season. A broken hamate bone robbed him of his power last season, when he hit only three home runs.

Basabe's slash line last year was .246/.324/.336, and certainly, Birmingham is not a good place for hitters. But, other Sox prospects have produced for the Barons on their way to the majors, and Basabe needs to do the same. The key is lowering his strikeout rate, which was hovering about 30 percent throughout much of last season. Basabe has speed and good defensive tools, so the question is whether the bat comes around.

8. Zack Collins, C. Collins has to get some points because he made it to the majors last season, although his questionable defensive skills behind the plate are likely to send him back to Triple-A to start 2020. Collins received two opportunities in Chicago in 2019, and the first was a disaster. He went 2 for 26 in nine games and got sent back down.

When he came back in September, he had made some adjustments, and it looked better. He slashed .233/.343/.417 with two homers, three doubles, a triple, nine RBIs and nine walks in 71 plate appearances. He also struck out 25 times, which remains a concern, but you figure the Sox will be slow to give up on a left-handed bat and a former first-round draft pick.

9. Blake Rutherford, OF. Hey, let's go wishcasting here. I asked about Rutherford at SoxFest, and director of player development Chris Getz expressed optimism that Rutherford started to turn a corner the second half of last season at Double-A Birmingham. He hit .307/.364/.404 over the last three months of 2019.

That wasn't enough to erase the hideous .185/.226/.291 line he had going into June. We'll keep an eye on Rutherford early in the season to see if he can hold onto his second-half gains. One big problem: He lacks the defensive skill set to play anything other than a corner outfield spot, and he has little power -- only seven home runs last season. He's added 10 to 12 pounds over the offseason, and we'll see if that makes a difference.

10. Matt Thompson, RHP. Just for grins, let's throw a high school pitcher in here, if for no other reason that I'm not high on anybody else. Thompson was the Sox's second-round pick in 2019, and some struggles during his senior season allegedly caused him to take a tumble out of the first round. He's an athletic pitcher with a mid-90s fastball, so we'll see where that goes in the coming years. Realistically, a guy drafted out of high school needs at least four years to make the majors.

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.