Tim Anderson still without a team; Yasmani Grandal signs with Pirates

Tim Anderson

When the White Sox fired former general manager Rick Hahn and promoted Chris Getz into the position, one of the key questions posed to Getz was, "How are you different from Hahn?"

Actually, I think there are some differences. What I'm about to say is speculation here, but I think Getz handled Tim Anderson's situation much different than Hahn would have.

Getz declined Anderson's $14 million contract option for 2024 and let the former All-Star become a free agent. Then he brought in a glove-first shortstop in Paul DeJong. 

I believe Hahn would have picked up Anderson's option and bet on him having a "bounce-back year." Hahn had a lot of difficulty moving on from his beloved "core players," even when reality was slapping him in the face. Accordingly, Hahn lost his job.

As we sit here on the evening of Feb. 12, two days before pitchers and catchers report, Anderson is still without a team. I feel as though this confirms Getz made the right choice not to pick up that option. Anderson isn't worth a $14 million contract coming off the worst season of his career, and clearly, 29 other teams feel the same way as the Sox.

It stinks to have to talk bad about Anderson, because he was a good player for the Sox from 2019 through the first two months of 2022. But since Anderson suffered a groin injury against the Cubs on Memorial Day weekend 2022, he's never been the same player.

After June 1 in 2022, Anderson played only 39 games and delivered just five extra-base hits -- four doubles and one home run. His batting average plummeted from .356 down to .301. His slugging percentage took a massive nosedive. He was slugging .503 at the time of the aforementioned injury against the Cubs. He finished the year at .395, after suffering a hand injury Aug. 6 that cost him the rest of his season.

We know the story in 2023. Anderson homered only one time in 524 plate appearances. He batted .245/.286/.296. There was no power in his swing whatsoever. You could almost knock the bat out of his hands at times. Even in his prime, Anderson was never a plus defender, and he struggled in the field, as well, in 2023. 

In past seasons, Anderson's good bat covered up for any defensive problems, but what happens to a bat-first player who can't hit the ball with authority anymore? Well, he's still a free agent on Feb. 12. That's what happens.

Rumors have tied Anderson to both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Miami Marlins. I don't have any bad feelings toward the guy. I hope he gets a job soon. But I'm good with him no longer being a member of the White Sox.

I'm just not sure what Anderson does well at this stage of his career. What role can a team trust him to play? I don't have an answer for that.

Grandal to Pirates

Speaking of players in decline, former Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal agreed with the Pittsburgh Pirates on a one-year deal worth $2.5 million.

I'm somewhat surprised Grandal is hanging on for another year at age 35. He was really bad for the Sox the past two years -- a .570 OPS in 2022 and a .647 OPS last season. Grandal hit only five homers in 2022 and eight homers last year, after totaling 23 home runs for the Sox in 2021.

Injuries have taken their toll. Grandal is arguably the slowest runner I've ever seen in baseball. Yes, I'm taking both Paul Konerko and Greg Luzinski over him in a race. And Grandal's defense declined to the point where there was talk that Sox pitchers preferred to throw to Seby Zavala.

This is another example where I'm good with a player no longer being a member of the White Sox.

White Sox make offseason changes at catcher

Martin Maldonado

When the offseason began, it looked as though the White Sox were poised to play younger players at catcher in 2024.

Both 25-year-old Korey Lee and 27-year-old Carlos Perez had spots on the 40-man roster. Both have some major league experience, and the conventional thinking was at least one of them would be with the team when the season starts in March.

Now, perhaps not.

The Sox are adding 37-year-old catcher Martin Maldonado on a one-year deal, according to reports. The contract is worth $4 million, and reportedly contains a vesting option for the 2025 season.

Earlier in December, the Sox acquired 32-year-old veteran catcher Max Stassi from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for cash and a player to be named later.

Maldonado comes to the Sox from Houston. He was the starting catcher for the Astros from 2019 to 2023, and he was part of two American League pennant winners (2019, 2022) and one World Series champion.

He has a reputation as a terrific defensive catcher, although his framing statistics fell off a cliff in 2023. He's still a good blocker and thrower, but he's a notoriously weak hitter.

Here are his offensive numbers from the past three seasons:

• 2021: .172/.272/.300, 12 home runs, 36 RBIs
• 2022: .186/.248/.352, 15 home runs, 45 RBIs
• 2023: .191/.258/.348, 15 home runs, 36 RBIs

In short, expect Maldonado to bat ninth, hit the occasional home run and otherwise be terrible with a bat in his hands. The Sox will be counting on him to provide veteran leadership and game-planning to help what figures to be a young pitching staff.

Stassi did not play during the 2023 season because of a hip injury and a family health emergency -- his son was born three months premature in April. 

When he was last seen on a major league field in 2022, Stassi struggled with the Los Angeles Angels. He batted .180/.267/.303 with nine home runs and 30 RBIs in 102 games.

But, in 2020 and 2021, Stassi was serviceable for the Angels. If you combine his numbers over those two seasons, they pencil out to a .250/.333/.452 batting line with 20 homers over 118 games. His defensive metrics all were strong, so that's a useful profile if he can regain that form.

Perez was recently designated for assignment, so we can eliminate him from the 2024 catching mix. Maldonado will certainly be on the team, if healthy, so that leaves Lee and Stassi competing for a roster spot.

Lee got 24 games in with the Sox last year, after coming over from the Astros in the Kendall Graveman trade, but he didn't do much with the opportunity. His defense was OK, but it certainly wasn't enough to overcome a .077/.143/.138 slash line in 70 plate appearances.

Also notable on the organizational depth chart is 24-year-old Adam Hackenburg, who has a good defensive reputation and ascended to Triple-A Charlotte by the end of 2023.

Hackenburg also had his best season at the plate. He batted .271/.366/.388 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs in 101 games split between Charlotte and Double-A Birmingham.

The intrigue here comes with whether Maldonado and/or Stassi can improve the Sox's game preparation. The 2023 season began with manager Pedro Grifol and field coordinator Mike Tosar boasting about how the team would be "elite" in that area.

After 101 losses, the season ended with Grifol lamenting how the Sox were actually subpar in that area. Interestingly, he didn't make those remarks until after the previous catching duo (Yasmani Grandal and Seby Zavala) had been shown the exit. 

If Grandal and Zavala were poor in that area, Grifol should have stepped in and addressed it during the season. Perhaps he tried and failed. From the outside, how are we to know? 

But, it is 100% fair to not trust Grifol to deliver on his promise of "elite preparation" after what we saw last year. So, perhaps it falls to Maldonado to clean up the mess. That won't be easy for a player in his first (and maybe his only) year with the organization, but that's the task at hand.

Bullpen isn't biggest problem for White Sox

The White Sox lost two out of three games to the Miami Marlins this past weekend, with all three games being decided in the ninth inning.

Luis Robert Jr.'s walk-off single lifted the Sox to a 2-1 victory on Friday night, but the other two games were losses characterized by bullpen meltdowns.

Joe Kelly gave up five runs (two earned) in the top of the ninth Saturday, turning a 1-0 lead into a 5-1 loss. He was not helped by Tim Anderson's error.

On Sunday, the Sox took a 5-1 lead into the eighth inning, but they lost 6-5. Keynan Middleton, who hadn't allowed a run since April, gave up two solo home runs in the eighth. Kendall Graveman, who also hadn't allowed a run since April, gave up three runs in the ninth and took the loss. He was not helped by a catcher's interference call against Seby Zavala.

That said, I don't feel like the bullpen is the biggest problem for the Sox. Far from it. Before Saturday, the relievers were receiving praise for a lights-out performance. Through the first seven games of June, the Sox bullpen posted 0.78 ERA with a .117 batting average against. 

The Sox won six of those seven games, with relievers earning the win in five of those contests. What happened over the weekend is inevitable regression.

Here's something that is not regression: The Sox offense stinks. Despite being 6-3 in June, this team is batting .202/.274/.343 this month. The Sox need more from hitters up and down the lineup, as we detailed last week.

Nothing has changed. The Sox are 29-38.

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

Lucas Giolito

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Sox are 27-35.

White Sox even series with Kansas City

Quick recap tonight, because it's getting late after a long rain delay. The White Sox and Kansas City Royals waited two hours to start Tuesday, and then the game itself took only two hours and two minutes to play. (Three cheers for the pitch clock!)

Thank goodness the Sox won, 4-2, because it would be embarrassing to lose to Kansas City two days in a row.

Luis Robert Jr. hit his eighth home run of the season -- a solo shot -- in the fourth inning. Andrew Vaughn's fourth homer of the year brought home two runs in the sixth, and Seby Zavala added an RBI single in the seventh to cap the Sox's scoring against Jordan Lyles (0-6), who pitched a complete game for the Royals despite taking the loss.

Lucas Giolito struck out nine over six innings of two-run ball for the Sox. Three relief pitchers combined to retire all nine Kansas City batters they faced. Joe Kelly pitched the seventh. Reynaldo Lopez worked the eighth. Kendall Graveman needed only seven pitches to induce three pop-outs in the ninth for his first save of 2023. 

Giolito is 2-2 with a 3.59 ERA. He's posted five quality starts in his past six outings. He is indeed back to being the Sox's most reliable starting pitcher. It is the final year of his contract, so he's got millions of reasons to continue pitching well.

The Sox are 13-24. The Royals are 10-27.

3 good changes Miguel Cairo has made to the White Sox lineup

Miguel Cairo

The White Sox are 13-6 since Miguel Cairo took over as acting manager on Aug. 30. Tony La Russa remains sidelined while dealing with a heart problem, and while I wish La Russa all the best with his health, there's no getting around the fact that the Sox have played much better baseball under Cairo's direction.

That said, the Sox remain in dire straits in the AL Central Division race. Their hot streak has coincided with a hot streak by the Cleveland Guardians, who have won 12 of their past 15 games.

The Guardians (80-67) come to Chicago for a three-game series that starts Tuesday night, and they own a four-game division lead over the Sox (76-71) with 15 games left in the season. 

Yes, it feels like a must-sweep for the Sox, especially since the Guardians own a 9-7 edge in the season series, and they will secure the division tiebreaker with just one more win over Chicago.

That means any Sox loss to Cleveland, in effect, is like losing two games in the standings.

As Sox fans, the only comfort we can take is that team is playing as well as it's played all season right now, and focusing on some positives, here are three things Cairo has done with the batting order that have really helped:

1. He made Eloy Jimenez the full-time DH. Jimenez remains a prodigious offensive talent, and he's a destructive force in the middle of the lineup when he's healthy. The problem is he's rarely healthy, and many of his injuries have occurred during his misadventures in left field.

What's the answer to this problem? Get Jimenez the hell out of left field, where he's a hazard to himself and everyone out there. Yes, birds too. Cairo has done just that. Jimenez has started 18 games at DH and zero games in the outfield since Cairo took over the team.

In those games, Jimenez is batting .348 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs. That is excellent production. Jimenez's job is to hit, and he's getting it done right now.

There's always the chance Jimenez will hurt one of his balky hamstrings when running the bases, but keeping him out of the outfield maximizes his chances of staying in the lineup. When he's in the lineup, he hits.

2. Yasmani Grandal does not DH anymore. Putting Jimenez in the lineup as the DH means that Grandal cannot DH anymore. ... Praise Jesus!

We've heard Sox GM Rick Hahn talk a lot this year about expecting players to "play to the back of the baseball card" over a 162-game schedule. Well, anyone who is watching Grandal's at-bats knows that he's not going to finish anywhere near his career norms this season.

He's batting .202/.305/.274 with only five homers and 26 RBIs. Inexplicably, La Russa started him as the DH 24 times this season, even though those offensive statistics are terrible.

Sure, Grandal was a dangerous hitter the second half of 2021 -- he hit 23 home runs last season, which is terrific production for a catcher. However, injuries have taken their toll on Grandal in his age-33 season. His swing has been all upper body all season. His legs aren't helping him, and his power is gone. In other words, his bat is a minus, and if he's not catching, he's not helping.

As a matter of fact, Grandal's defense has suffered this season, too. He's a -1.2 WAR player, and Seby Zavala, an average defensive catcher, is arguably a better option behind the plate at this point. But kudos to Cairo for not trying to force-fit Grandal's struggling bat into the lineup at the expense of the team.

3. Leury Garcia is stapled to the bench. It truly boggles the mind that La Russa found a way to pencil Garcia into the starting lineup 71 times in the first 128 games of the season.

Under Cairo, Garcia has started only five times in 19 games, and he's started only once since Sept. 4. In other words, Garcia has been picking splinters out of his ass ever since Yoan Moncada came off the injured list.

You might say, "But Garcia had to play because of all the injuries!" To which I reply, "You know damn well that Garcia would be playing second base right now if La Russa were managing the team."

Cairo has wisely alternated between Josh Harrison and Romy Gonzalez at second base -- both of those two players have simply outperformed Garcia, who is batting .211/.234/.268 for the season and is a -1.0 WAR player. Garcia's OPS+ is 42, which means he is performing 58% below league average.

Garcia is another one who simply isn't going to perform to "the back of his baseball card" this year. He's rightfully taken a seat as the Sox fight to stay relevant in the AL Central.

Dylan Cease vs. Justin Verlander: No-decisions for both

Dylan Cease

The top two contenders for the American League Cy Young Award squared off Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field, and ... neither one of them got a decision.

Dylan Cease and Justin Verlander both gave up three earned runs, and although Verlander pitched deeper in the game that Cease, the White Sox bullpen was better than the Houston Astros bullpen, as the Sox rallied for a 4-3 victory.

For the Sox, it is their fifth straight win, and it brings them within one game of the first-place Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central heading into Wednesday's play.

Final line on Cease: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 Ks, 3 BBs.

His season ERA is 2.09. His record remains 12-5.

Final line on Verlander: 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 Ks, 1 BB

His season ERA is 1.95. His record remains 15-3.

You have to believe Verlander is the front-runner for the Cy Young at this point. The 39-year-old has better numbers than the 26-year-old Cease at this time. And Verlander has the name recognition that goes with past accomplishments, and he plays for the team with the best record in the American League.

But on this night, Verlander could not hold a 3-1 lead. The Sox rallied against him with two runs in the seventh. Josh Harrison singled, Seby Zavala walked, and Gavin Sheets ripped 1-2 Verlander slider into the right-field corner to tie the game.

The Sox grabbed the lead in the eighth against Houston right-hander Hector Neris. Eloy Jimenez walked, Jose Abreu singled, and Yasmani Grandal grounded into a slooooooooow-developing 3-6-1 double play. That left pinch-runner Adam Engel at third with two outs, but Yoan Moncada delivered an RBI single to put the Sox ahead.

Closer Liam Hendriks earned his 27th save of the season by retiring the top three batters in the Houston lineup in the top of the ninth, punctuating his outing with a strikeout of Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez.

That capped a strong performance for the Sox bullpen, as Jose Ruiz, Vince Velasquez, Jimmy Lambert and Hendriks all recorded scoreless innings -- with Lambert getting the win.

The Sox have two more games on this homestand against Houston, and will look to extend their winning streak Wednesday with Michael Kopech on the mound.

Yoan Moncada (finally) contributes to White Sox offense

Yoan Moncada

There's nothing like a series against the sad-sack Detroit Tigers to cure what ails you, right? 

The White Sox completed a three-game sweep in Detroit with a 13-0 victory on Wednesday afternoon. Their 22-hit attack was powered by ... Yoan Moncada?

Yes, Yoan Moncada. It's about time.

Moncada entered Wednesday's game with a .141/.198/.222 slash line. He had only two home runs, two doubles and seven RBIs in 106 plate appearances. Since May 22, he had just two extra-base hits, and one of them was a "bunt double" down the left-field line against a shifted infield.

Well, Moncada had two extra-base hits on Wednesday alone. He went 5 for 6 with a home run, a double, two runs scored and five RBIs. He nearly doubled his season RBI total, going from seven to 12. His batting average improved 40 points to .181. His OPS went from .420 to .527.

And, Moncada had the biggest hit of the game. He came to the plate with two on and two out in the first inning, and roped a fastball from Detroit starter Alex Faedo into the right-field seats for a 3-run homer.

That staked the Sox to an early multi-run lead, and they cruised from there.

Sure, the Tigers used position players to pitch the last three innings, and Moncada piled on with two of his five hits against those guys. But it's worth noting that Leury Garcia also had two at-bats against Detroit position players, and he made three outs.

Amusingly, or not amusingly, depending on your perspective, Garcia struck out against Harold Castro and grounded into a double play against Tucker Barnhart.

Garcia was 0 for 2 off the bench. He gave center fielder Luis Robert a few innings off after the game got out of hand. But enough about Garcia and his inept nonsense. The nine Sox players who started the game all had at least one hit.

Jose Abreu went 4 for 5 with three runs scored and two RBIs. Andrew Vaughn totaled three hits, and AJ Pollock now has seven straight multi-hit games after a 2-for-4 day. Pollock reached base four times and scored twice.

Danny Mendick and Seby Zavala homered for the Sox.

Rookie right-hander Davis Martin picked up his first career victory with 5.1 innings of scoreless relief. Vince Velasquez was activated off the injured list to start Wednesday's game. He worked 2.2 scoreless innings before being removed. Perhaps he was on a pitch count.

Reliever Kyle Crick was placed on the injured list with right elbow inflammation to make room for Velasquez on the roster.

The Sox are 30-31, still five games behind the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central.

The next six games are a little tougher. The South Siders play three games at Houston over the weekend, before coming home for three games against Toronto.

Not that anyone needs a reminder, but the Sox were 0-6 in Houston last season -- regular season and playoffs combined -- so we'll see if they can compete a little better in this next series.

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.

Tony La Russa wisely gives Dallas Keuchel hook after five innings

Dallas Keuchel

Dallas Keuchel has an 11.77 ERA in the sixth inning during the 2021 season. 

White Sox manager Tony La Russa finally discovered the solution for this problem: Give Keuchel the hook after five innings.

The result? A 5-2 White Sox winner over the Oakland Athletics on Monday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.

In this game, Keuchel had a hiccup in the second inning, when he gave up two runs. But he settled in after that and got through five innings with a 3-2 lead. To be honest, that's all you can expect from Keuchel at this point in his career.

The Sox bullpen has been shaky lately. Liam Hendriks got lit up twice in the last week by the New York Yankees, and Craig Kimbrel hasn't lived up to the hype since he was acquired from the Cubs.

But this time, the relief pitching was excellent. Michael Kopech worked two scoreless innings, striking out three. Kimbrel pitched out of a second-and-third, one-out jam and recorded three strikeouts in the eighth inning. Hendriks struck out the side in the ninth for his 27th save in 33 opportunities. 

Keuchel is 8-6 on the season. His ERA stands at 4.48.

Luis Robert continues to look good since returning from the injured list. He went 3 for 4 with three runs scored, a stolen base and his third home run of the season in Monday's win. He's batting .328 with an .880 OPS.

Seby Zavala went 2 for 3 with two singles, a run scored, two RBIs and a successful safety squeeze that scored Robert. 

The Sox are 69-50 this season.

Dylan Cease strikes out 11 in win over Kansas City

Dylan Cease

To this point in the season, it has been assumed that the White Sox playoff pitching rotation will include Lance Lynn, Carlos Rodon, Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel, in some order.

And it has been assumed that Dylan Cease will move to the bullpen when October rolls around. 

I'm not so sure.

Cease (8-6) is pitching better than the veteran Keuchel right now, and he had one of his best outings of the season Tuesday night. The right-hander went six innings in a 7-1 win over the Kansas City Royals. He allowed no runs on one hit -- a bloop single -- with 11 strikeouts and two walks. He was absolutely overpowering.

You could say that the Royals (45-60) are a weak opponent, and you would be correct. Keuchel will get his chance Thursday to face this same Kansas City lineup, and we'll see whether he can put up six quality innings.

That has been a problem for Keuchel as of late. He made five starts in July and went 1-2 with a 6.26 ERA. Worse, he gave up nine home runs in those outings. He's going to have to show more over the final two months of the regular season for the Sox to trust him in October. 

Cease is making his case, and he kept the Royals off the board Tuesday until the Sox bats were able to break the game open late.

The Sox had only three hits off Kansas City starter Kris Bubic (3-5), but two of them were home runs. Andrew Vaughn hit a solo shot in the second inning. Tim Anderson's two-run homer followed a Seby Zavala walk in the third to give the Sox a 3-0 lead.

The score remained the same until the top of the seventh, when the Royals nicked Sox reliever Michael Kopech for a run.

But with Bubic gone after six innings, the Sox blew it open with four runs in the seventh. The inning began with four consecutive walks, the last of which gave Zavala an easy RBI. As the inning progressed, Anderson delivered an RBI single, and a two-run single by Jose Abreu put the game out of reach.

The Sox are 63-44, and they have a 9.5-game lead in the AL Central.

What do we make of Gavin Sheets' red-hot start at Charlotte?

The reports on Gavin Sheets' play at Triple-A Charlotte have been glowing so far. 

Sheets, the White Sox's second-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, went 3 for 5 with two home runs and five RBIs in Charlotte's 13-6 victory over Norfolk on Sunday. 

The performance added to the buzz surrounding the left-handed first baseman, as he is now hitting .367/.415/.633 with four doubles, three home runs and 13 RBIs over the first 12 games of the season.

We're already seeing some folks stumping for Sheets to be called up to the majors. 

You can understand why people would feel that way. The Sox are having trouble keeping sluggers healthy. As we've documented, Eloy Jimenez is out five to six months with a pectoral injury. Luis Robert is out 12 to 16 weeks with a strained hip flexor.

Because of these injuries, the Sox's starting outfield in Monday's game against the Minnesota Twins featured Leury Garcia, Billy Hamilton and Danny Mendick. Not exactly the stuff that World Series dreams are made of, right? (And yes, I know the Sox won 16-4 on Monday, but I don't think I would want to ride with that trio in the outfield long term.)

To add an extra layer of challenge to the situation, the Sox will be without first baseman Jose Abreu until at least Friday with left ankle inflammation. 

So yeah, the offense is lacking some key players right now, and to the Sox's credit, they've been using Sheets in right field in Charlotte -- not just at first base -- to see whether he can increase his defensive versatility. I'm sure the thinking is, "What if the oft-injured Adam Eaton gets hurt next? Then what do we do in right field? Is Sheets a potential solution?" 

No harm in kicking the tires on that possibility at Triple-A, and obviously the bat looks good right now.

But here's why I'd pump the brakes on giving Sheets an immediate recall: The hitting environment in Charlotte is extremely friendly, and the Knights have played all 12 of their games at home. Sheets isn't the only guy in Charlotte swinging the bat well. Check out these team stats. Hell, even Marco Hernandez and Seby Zavala are kicking some ass, and neither of those two players are known for high-level offense.

Looking at the schedule, the Knights start a 12-game road trip to Durham and Norfolk on Tuesday night. Let's see if these offensive gains hold for Sheets and some of the other guys at Triple-A. Then we can reassess that situation.

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? 

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.

White Sox set to call up former first-round pick Zack Collins

When is the right time to call up a prospect? It's been a contentious question for the White Sox and their fan base over the past few years, as Lucas Giolito, Yoan Moncada, Reynaldo Lopez, Michael Kopech and Eloy Jimenez have trickled into the big leagues.

In all five cases, some fans -- including me -- criticized the Sox for slow-cooking the rebuild and leaving the prospects in the minor leagues for too long. General manager Rick Hahn's "abundance of caution" quotes have become both the stuff of legend and annoyance.

Now, the team is expected to call up its 2016 first-round draft pick, catcher Zack Collins, before Tuesday's game against the crosstown Cubs, and I don't think too many people are going to be repeating that criticism. 

Collins is a curious case because his defense behind the plate is a work in progress, and some people don't believe it will ever be good enough for him to be a big league catcher. In addition, his bat has been respectable but not dominant this season at Triple-A Charlotte. Is he really ready? Good question.

Collins is slashing .250/.374/.482 with nine home runs and 39 RBIs in 50 games. He takes his walks -- 36 in 206 plate appearances -- but he's also struck out 66 times.

The Sox insist Collins can stick behind the plate, but he's also been playing some first base in Triple-A, sharing the catching duties with fellow prospect Seby Zavala.

It looks as though Welington Castillo could be headed for the injured list after leaving Sunday's 10-3 loss to the New York Yankees with lower back tightness. That would create room for Collins to do some catching, but it's hard to see a scenario in which he would play every day, with James McCann slashing .324/.374/.509 and earning praise for the way he handles the Sox pitching staff.

McCann is getting All-Star consideration and has earned the right to most of the playing time behind the plate for the Sox.

But, McCann and Castillo have *both* been in the lineup in recent games. Whichever man is not catching has served as the designated hitter, with Yonder Alonso continuing to swing the bat poorly and generally riding the bench.

After playing regularly throughout April and May, Alonso has seen his playing time slashed in June. He has only 20 plate appearances this month. Alonso, who is slashing .180/.280/.312 for the season, is 2 for 18 in June.

Might Collins be taking over for Alonso in a 1B/DH role on days in which McCann is catching? I think that's quite possible, if the team wants to cut ties with Alonso.

One skill that Collins seems to bring is an ability to hit right-handed pitchers. Here are his splits at Triple-A:

• vs. RHP: .268/.400/.512, 18.75% BB, 27.5% K
• vs. LHP: .189/.283/.378, 13.0% BB, 47.8% K

He can't hit lefties worth a damn, so we probably won't see Collins start at Wrigley Field this week. The Cubs are starting Cole Hamels on Tuesday and Jon Lester on Wednesday -- both lefties -- and there will be no designated hitter in the National League park.

But once the Sox return to American League action Friday against the Texas Rangers, we may very well see Collins at DH when McCann is catching, and McCann at DH when Collins is catching. Or, we may see Collins at first base for a couple of days here and there to get Jose Abreu a "half-day" as a designated hitter. We've seen Alonso in that role throughout the season to this point, but his bat is weighing down the lineup, and his time may be up.

I wouldn't think the Sox would call up Collins unless they were intent on giving him an extended chance to stick. Castillo was on the seven-day concussion list earlier this season, and the team called up Zavala for a few days.

Collins is a more significant prospect than Zavala. He's a former first-round pick. A significant investment has been made in him. I don't think the Sox would call him up for just "a few days."

That must really believe he's ready, despite his weakness against left-handed pitching and his defensive shortcomings. That .912 OPS against right-handed pitching at Triple-A makes Collins interesting, and we'll see if he can carve a niche in the big leagues by hitting right-handers, whether he's catching, playing first or DH'ing.