Nomar Mazara is out. Now what for the White Sox in right field?

Nomar Mazara

White Sox right fielder Nomar Mazara did not play in either of this week's exhibition games against the Cubs. Manager Rick Renteria described Mazara as being "under the weather."

Today, Mazara was placed on the 10-day injured list. No explanation has been given. We can speculate on what's going on, but what we know is that Mazara will not be in the lineup for Friday's season opener against the Minnesota Twins.

In fact, he won't be eligible to return until Aug. 1, so what do the Sox do in right field in the meantime? In a 60-game season, a good start is even more important than usual. And it's especially crucial for the Sox, given that they start the season with the Twins and the Cleveland Indians -- the two clubs that are expected to be the front-runners in the AL Central.

Well, I guess it depends on who the second baseman is. Will it be prized prospect Nick Madrigal or veteran utility player Leury Garcia?

If it's Madrigal, then Garcia can fill the gap in right, perhaps as part of a time share with Adam Engel. Perhaps Garcia, a switch-hitter, starts against right-handed pitchers, while Engel, a right-handed hitter, starts against lefties.

Here's a look at the platoon splits for each player in 2019:

Garcia vs. RHP: .264/.294/.348
Garcia vs. LHP: .311/.344/.443

Engel vs RHP: .201/.272/.326
Engel vs LHP: .313/.360/.482

The numbers tell us Garcia is stronger from the right side of the plate. But Engel's numbers against righties are pathetic, while Garcia's are acceptable. For me, it then makes sense to play Garcia against righties.

And while Garcia performed just fine against lefties, Engel hits them harder, so I would give him the start on the rare occasions when the Sox face a lefty starter -- there aren't a lot of them in the AL Central, and Minnesota's Rich Hill is probably the only one the Sox will see during the season's first week.

But, what if the Sox decide to hold Madrigal back for service time or some other reason that I'm not thinking of? Then Garcia is the second baseman, and Engel is the best choice in right field.

I'm cringing a little bit as I look at the lineup for Wednesday night's exhibition against the Milwaukee Brewers. Garcia is at second base. OK, perhaps the Sox are tipping their hand at what they are going to do at that position.

But then in right field, it's not Engel. It's ... Nicky Delmonico? The career .227 hitter who doesn't have a position he can play competently? Ugh.

I'm not a huge Engel fan, but at least he's a good outfielder. Engel is certainly not the best hitter, but he brings one major league-caliber skill to the team -- his glove.

What exactly does Delmonico do well?

I'll be disappointed if someone other than Garcia or Engel is getting time in right field during Mazara's absence.

No, this year's World Series champion doesn't deserve an asterisk

Tim Anderson

I've heard and read several comments over the past three weeks about how this year's World Series champion should have an asterisk next to their name.

Here's my response: Bull feces.

Nobody should ever have to apologize for winning a championship, and when you think about it, what are the criteria that make a title "more legitimate" anyway?

I was thinking back to the one championship team we've seen on the South Side in my lifetime -- the 2005 White Sox.

For my money, that World Series title was as legit as any you were going to see. The Sox were wire-to-wire champions in the American League Central. They won 99 games. They had the best record in the AL. And they steamrolled the competition in the playoffs, romping through the postseason with an 11-1 record.

Still, you had people trying to take away the legitimacy of that championship by calling it "luck" or whatever. Hell, ESPN basically denies that the Sox ever won the World Series.

(Tim Anderson rightfully called out ESPN's ignorance of Sox baseball earlier this week.)

My point is, if your favorite club wins the championship, odds are the fans of rival teams or others who don't like your team are going to try to take that joy away from you. Try as they might, they cannot.

And this season is arguably a bigger challenge than most. Sure, the number of games has been reduced from 162 to 60, but teams are not only trying to beat the opposition, but they also are trying to avoid COVID-19.

The season is going to look different, for sure, but whoever wins the World Series is going to earn it. They shouldn't apologize for winning, and they'll have every right to tell naysayers to go to hell.

Yoan Moncada's return to the lineup mostly encouraging for White Sox

Yoan Moncada

There was a headline in a local newspaper Tuesday that described Yoan Moncada as being "in midseason form" in Monday's 5-3 White Sox winner over the Cubs in exhibition play.

Let's not get carried away here. Moncada was only four days removed from returning from COVID-19 protocols, and it was clear he did not have his timing at the plate.

Moncada went 1 for 3, and while he was a little slow getting to fastballs, he had no problem lining a hanging 2-2 curve from Yu Darvish into center field for an RBI single in the bottom of the first.

The hit was part of a five-run rally that also featured a grand slam by Eloy Jimenez.

In Moncada's other two at-bats, he got jammed by a Darvish fastball and lined out to second base. And he also struck out looking against James Norwood, although the strike three pitch appeared to be outside. Earlier in that plate appearance, Moncada swung late on a 2-0 Norwood fastball that was right over the dish.

That's a pitch that "midseason form" Moncada would hammer, but hey, the timing isn't there yet.

Moncada's play at third base was most encouraging. He handled four chances cleanly, and three of them required more than routine effort.

In the first inning, Moncada ranged to his left on a slow chopper, and he made a good throw on the move to get Cubs shortstop Javier Baez.

Albert Almora tested Moncada in the third inning with a smash. Moncada was drawn in to protect against the bunt, but he left his feet, moving quickly to his left, to catch the grounder and throw out Almora.

Most impressively, Moncada took away extra bases from Kris Bryant in the fourth with a backhand pick, a spin and a long throw.

These are plays that no backup third baseman can make, so it's important to keep in mind that even if Moncada doesn't tear the cover off the ball right away, his presence at third base in a plus for the Sox defensively.

That's especially so with a groundball pitcher such as Dallas Keuchel on the mound. The veteran lefty faced the minimum 15 batters and allowed only one hit in five shutout innings against the Cubs on Monday, and you can bet his night was made easier because Moncada was on the field.

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.

Yoan Moncada is back with the White Sox; ESPN to televise Sunday's game

The White Sox became a better baseball team the minute Yoan Moncada walked into the stadium Thursday.

Just as I started to wonder whether Moncada would be back anytime soon after a positive COVID-19 test, the third baseman was at Guaranteed Rate Field after testing negative twice and being cleared to return.

Thank goodness, Moncada did not have severe symptoms. He described losing his sense of taste and smell while he was quarantined, but he was otherwise fine. And both he and manager Rick Renteria seem to believe he can be ready in time to face the Minnesota Twins in the season opener July 24.

Fingers crossed.

Pitcher Jose Ruiz, the other positive COVID test for the Sox, also has been cleared to return to baseball. He reported to Schaumburg to join the taxi squad.

Upcoming 'preseason' games

I'm watching the Sox's intrasquad game as I type on Thursday night. It's fun to see baseball of any sort -- and Dylan Cease looked really, really good against his teammates, eight strikeouts in 4.2 innings. And Edwin Encarnacion homered twice off Carlos Rodon.

But, it will be more exciting to see the Sox test themselves against other clubs before the season starts. That will happen Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. The Sox will play the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Sunday night. Then they will host the Cubs on Monday before the Milwaukee Brewers come to the South Side on Wednesday.

And here's a twist: The Sox will be on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball when they play the Cubs. Can you remember the last time the Sox were on Sunday night? Me neither.

Nevertheless, I'll be watching the home team call on NBC Sports Chicago with Jason Benetti and Steve Stone. Unlike the ESPN broadcast team, Benetti and Stone are knowledgeable about the Sox, and we won't have to listen to a Cubs lovefest from Rick Sutcliffe.

Regardless of what channel you watch, doesn't it help the soul to have baseball back?

If Yoan Moncada can't play, what do the White Sox do at third base?

Yoan Moncada

White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada and right-handed relief pitcher Jose Ruiz both are on the 10-day injured list with "mysterious ailments."

We know that two Sox players tested positive for COVID-19 on intake, so I think we can connect the dots on what is going on here.

Ruiz is a fringe player who had a 5.63 ERA in 40 appearances with the Sox in 2019, and he's not somebody any of us were counting on.

But Moncada, however, is the team's best player. He's coming off a season in which he hit .315/.367/.548 with 25 home runs, 34 doubles, five triples and 79 RBIs. He also was one of the few players on the 2019 Sox who could be described as a solid defensive player.

The Sox signed Moncada to a five-year, $70 million extension over the offseason. They were counting on him to be a cornerstone not only in 2020, but also for years to come.

Perhaps Moncada will end up helping the Sox this year. In order to return, Moncada will have to test negative twice more than 24 hours apart. Because of privacy reasons, nobody knows where he is in that process. Is he still COVID positive? Maybe. Has he tested negative once, in which case he would need to test negative again? Maybe.

However, the longer we go without seeing Moncada in Sox camp, the more we have to come to grips with the possibility that he will not be ready eight days from now when the team opens the regular season against the Minnesota Twins.

The third base depth for the Sox is, umm, not good. After all, why would you invest much in a backup for the franchise player? What are the Sox going to do in the likely event that Moncada isn't around?

Well, there's Cheslor Cuthbert, who was signed to play third base at Triple-A Charlotte. He's probably the best defensive option available, and he has 322 games of big league experience with the Kansas City Royals. His bat won't wow you, but he can probably catch most of the grounders hit his way.

Danny Mendick is an option, too. The utility infielder showed well in his September call-up last season, batting .308/.325/.462 in a limited sample size of 40 at-bats.

The Sox also have looked at Yermin Mercedes and Andrew Vaughn at third base over the past week. Mercedes can hit, and the Sox would like to find a home for his bat. However, he's a catcher by trade and not real nimble on his feet. I wouldn't want him playing third with an extreme groundball pitcher on the mound, like, say, Dallas Keuchel. Maybe you can spot Mercedes at third if you've got a flyball pitcher on the mound, like, say, Reynaldo Lopez.

Vaughn, the Sox's first-round draft pick in 2019, is a first baseman, plain and simple. I understand the team would like to increase his versatility, but I don't see it happening. If they had the opportunity to try Vaughn at third base in the minor leagues, maybe I could get on board. However, the kid never played a single game at third in college. What makes us believe he can play third in the majors for a team that is trying to move into contention this year? That's a nonstarter for me.

Then there's the option that I like best: It's time to quit screwing around with service time and just put Nick Madrigal at second base. Madrigal has looked better in this camp than he did during spring training in March, and I think he can hold the position down. That means the Sox don't need to use Leury Garcia at second. Instead, put Garcia at third until Moncada returns.

I've always thought Garcia was miscast as an everyday player at any one spot. His best role is as a super sub, filling in at whatever position needs filling. Right now, that position is third base. I say, roll with Garcia at third and hope Moncada's back by early August.

If we're being honest, the Sox probably aren't going to make the playoffs without a healthy Moncada anyway.

White Sox announce the 16 members of their Schaumburg taxi squad

Garrett Crochet

The White Sox on Tuesday announced the 16 players who will round out their 60-man pool. Well, actually, I guess it's a 59-man pool with Michael Kopech opting out of the season.

Forty-one players are working out at Guaranteed Rate Field, with two players quarantining after positive tests for COVID-19. Here are the other 16 guys, who will report to Schaumburg Boomers Stadium on Wednesday:

Right-handed pitchers: Zack Burdi, Ryan Burr, Matt Foster, Brady Lail, Alex McRae, Bryan Mitchell, Jonathan Stiever

Left-handed pitchers: Garrett Crochet, Bernardo Flores, Jacob Lindgren, Adalberto Mejia, Bennett Sousa

Catcher: Seby Zavala

Outfielders: Luis Gonzalez, Micker Adolfo, Blake Rutherford

So, who among these people might be able to help in Chicago during the 60-game sprint to the finish? I'd focus on that list of left-handed pitchers. Aaron Bummer is a fixture in the Sox bullpen, but let's just say I'm not confident that Jace Fry is going to stick around too much longer as the second lefty in relief.

Crochet, the team's first-round draft pick, jumps out as the most interesting name on the list. His 100 mph fastball would play in the big leagues, but how quickly will the Sox want to move with his development? Mejia is not on the 40-man roster, but he has previous experience with three MLB teams, most notably the Minnesota Twins. He could get a look if the Sox have an injury or an ineffectiveness in their bullpen.

Zavala can't hit worth a lick, but he's the third-best receiver in the organization -- once you get past big leaguers Yasmani Grandal and James McCann. That alone makes it worth having him around. Catching depth can erode quickly -- just look at the Kansas City Royals, who are without all three catchers on their 40-man roster. Two tested positive for COVID-19, and a third is injured. The Sox have four catchers in big-league camp, and it's wise to add a fifth guy just in case.

Among the right-handed pitchers, Burr has previous experience with the Sox and is coming back from Tommy John surgery. Burdi, the former first round pick, is trying to revitalize his career after a series of injuries. Stiever is an intriguing prospect who had a big year in 2019, but he was hurt in spring training. I'm guessing 2020 is not his time, but it is good to see him healthy and returning to action in some form.

Those outfielders ... meh ... all three of them are prospects who have lost their shine. A lot of bad things would have to happen to the Sox before we'd see any of them in Chicago.