White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada was reinstated from the injured list Thursday before the South Siders opened a four-game weekend series with the Texas Rangers at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Moncada, who has been on the injured list since Aug. 1 with a strained right hamstring, played five rehab games with Triple-A Charlotte. He went 9 for 22 with two home runs, a double, six runs scored and six RBIs.
Based on those numbers, there's no reason to think he isn't ready. Hopefully, the Sox lineup won't look so anemic now, because Moncada has been the best position player on the team this season.
He's hitting .301/.358/.535 with 20 home runs, 59 RBIs, 21 doubles, three triples, 58 runs scored and seven stolen bases in 97 games. What are the odds he finishes the season with a .300-plus batting average? Not sure, but the fact that he has a chance to do that is amazing given the struggles we saw from him in 2018.
To make room on the roster for Moncada, the Sox optioned outfielder Ryan Cordell to Triple-A Charlotte.
Cordell is hitting .227/.284/.356 this season with six home runs, seven doubles and 20 RBIs in 81 games. I feel as though I've seen enough of Cordell to confidently say he is not a major-league player moving forward, but somehow, I sense that we'll see him back on the South Side when rosters expand in September.
It would be nice if Moncada had brought Luis Robert along with him from Charlotte, but that's not how the Sox roll. We're likely to see more of guys such as Cordell, Daniel Palka and Dylan Covey down the stretch.
Moncada 2 for 4 with a two-run homer and a double in his first game back Thursday, a 6-1 Sox win over Texas.
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