Thoughts on Yasmani Grandal, Jose Abreu and Yolmer Sanchez

Yasmani Grandal

Of all the free agent position players this offseason, I believed Yasmani Grandal would be the best fit for the White Sox. Several of his strengths are weaknesses for the Sox. Consider this:

1. The Sox needed to add more power to their lineup. Grandal hit a career-high 28 home runs last season for the Milwaukee Brewers, and he has hit 22 or more home runs in each of the past four seasons.

2. The Sox needed left-handed hitting to balance out their lineup. Grandal is a switch-hitter who posted an .813 OPS from the left side of the plate in 2019.

3. The Sox need to take more walks. Grandal took a career-high 109 of them last season, and he posted a career-best .380 on-base percentage.

4. The Sox need to be better defensively. Grandal is considered one of top-five defensive catchers in the game. He's strong in the framing department. According to Statcast's metrics, Grandal saved 13 runs with his framing in 2019. By way of comparison, James McCann cost the Sox 16 runs with subpar framing, and Welington Castillo was minus-8 in the same metric.

So, I was happy last week when the Sox gave Grandal a four-year, $73 million contract to be their starting catcher. If he continues to perform at his current level, that's exactly what the Sox need behind the plate.

The only reservation I have: Grandal is 31 years old. And like most Sox fans, I'm always wary of their free agent signings forgetting how to play baseball the moment they put on a Sox uniform. I've been burned before.

However, that line of thinking is irrational fan negativity. This signing should be taken as a sign of hope, so let's try to look at it that way. Grandal checks boxes the Sox needed to check.

Abreu signs 3-year contract extension

The Sox also agreed to a three-year, $50 million deal with first baseman Jose Abreu. Again, the only real concern here is Abreu's age. He'll be 33 when the 2020 season opens, and who knows whether he can continue to perform at a high level?

Obviously, Abreu is the type of player who has to hit to be effective. He's a slow, subpar base runner, and his defense at first base is mediocre at best. However, he's hit 30 or more home runs and driven in 100 or more runs in five of his six seasons with the Sox. And he's coming off a career-high 123 RBIs in 2019.

I would say the Sox need more offense even with Abreu producing at that level, so they really couldn't afford to not bring him back as a middle-of-the-order presence.

Is it a bit of an overpay? Perhaps, but the Sox probably don't look at it that way, considering that Abreu is a beloved player in the clubhouse and the team leader and whatnot, in addition to his offensive productivity.

Sanchez on outright waivers

Yolmer Sanchez won a Gold Glove at second base in 2019, but don't expect him back with the Sox in 2020. Reports indicate Sanchez was placed on outright waivers Monday.

Like Abreu, Sanchez is good in the clubhouse, but that goodwill only goes so far. Sanchez was due a big raise in arbitration, a projected $6.2 million according to MLB Trade Rumors.

No matter how good his defense is, you can't pay that kind of money to a player with a .318 on-base percentage and a .321 slugging percentage. That isn't a small sample size, either. Sanchez played in 149 games in 2019.

He just doesn't hit enough to be an everyday player, and the Sox have a logical replacement in the pipeline with Nick Madrigal poised to take over at second base sometime in 2020.

I have no doubt that Sanchez is a good guy, but he's not the type of player who should be starting for a team that is serious about winning.

White Sox trade Welington Castillo; Josh Osich also moving on

Welington Castillo

Even when the White Sox trade a hated and despised player, they do it in a strange way that invites criticism.

Take for this example this week's deal with Texas. The Sox sent catcher Welington Castillo and $250,000 in international bonus pool money to the Rangers in exchange for minor leaguer Jonah McReynolds.

What's interesting here is that neither the Sox nor the Rangers had any intent of having Castillo on their 2020 roster. There's an $8 million option on his contract, and who is going to pick that up for an injury-prone catcher coming off a season in which he batted .209?

Nobody.

The option includes a $500,000 buyout. The Sox apparently didn't want to pay that, even though they've got a bottom-third payroll, so they passed that financial obligation along to the Rangers. Why would Texas do that? The Rangers want that international bonus money, plain and simple.

There's precedence for this. You may recall that the Sox traded Nate Jones to Texas at the July trading deadline. Jones will never throw a pitch for the Rangers, who will pay his $1.25 million contract buyout this offseason. In that deal, Texas acquired $1 million in international bonus pool money.

Simplifying all this, essentially the Sox gave Texas $1.25 million in international bonus pool money in order to avoid paying $1.75 million in buyouts to two dead-weight veterans, Jones and Castillo.

Why would the Sox be eager to unload valuable international bonus pool money during a rebuilding cycle, and during a time when their minor league depth has been depleted by injuries? I have no idea. No idea at all.

I'm left to chalk this up to the usual Sox cheapness. Somehow I doubt that $1.75 million is going to make a difference one way or another in signing free agents this offseason.

Osich claimed on waivers by Red Sox

In other Sox news, left-handed reliever Josh Osich was outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte and later claimed on waivers by the Boston Red Sox.

Osich went 4-0 with a 4.66 ERA in 57 games for the Sox this season, and somehow, he led the bullpen with 67.2 innings pitched. He had the fewest walks (15) of any Sox reliever, but he also allowed the most home runs (15).

Right-handed batters torched Osich with a .297/.344/.559 split this season. He was effective against lefties, however, limiting them to a .171/.200/.351 split.

It would seem as though Osich would have some utility as a left-handed specialist, but remember, there's a new rule coming in next season that requires relievers to face a minimum of three batters.

Pitchers such as Osich will run the risk of being overexposed to right-handed batters in this new era, and let's face it, he's not good enough to be considered irreplaceable.

Why is Yoan Moncada still in Charlotte? Zack Collins? Luis Robert?

White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte at the end of last week. Through three games with the Knights, he was 4 for 12 with a home run.

Then, he didn't play Sunday night, so I figured he was flying to Minnesota to join the team for its three-game series with the Twins starting Monday night.

After all, the Sox lost three out of four over the weekend to the Los Angeles Angels. They could use the help.

But no, Moncada is playing for Charlotte (again) on Monday night. Why? Who knows?

In other news from the farm, Zack Collins was named International League Batter of the Week. The left-handed slugger hit .538 (14 for 26) with eight runs scored, three doubles, four home runs and nine RBIs over seven games this week.

This is terrific news, as Collins has been swinging a hot bat since his demotion to Charlotte. Whatever adjustments he is making are working, and I'm in favor of his return to Chicago. Alas, it hasn't happened yet.

Given the Sox's struggles against even mediocre right-handed pitching of late, perhaps the lineup would look better with Moncada and Collins in it. Manager Rick Renteria continues to resort to Jon Jay batting cleanup against right-handed pitchers. This cannot continue.

And then there's Luis Robert, who homered twice Sunday night and homered again in Monday's game for Charlotte. Robert was batting .306 and slugging .639 in 33 games coming into Monday night, and this latest home run is his 12th since his promotion from Double-A Birmingham.

I just don't see what Robert has left to prove in Triple-A. I hope we see him -- and Collins -- in Chicago sooner rather than later. It's time to get ready for 2020, and those two men need to be part of it. 

Sox brass, unfortunately, seems more content to kill time with Jay, Ryan Cordell and Adam Engel all on the big league roster, not to mention Matt Skole, Welington Castillo and Ryan Goins. Well, I guess Goins is making a case to be around in 2020, but the rest of these guys are just filler.

At what point does this rebuild move on from roster filler?

James McCann's grand slam gives White Sox series win over Houston Astros

James McCann

James McCann hit a two-out, two-strike grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning Wednesday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field, lifting the White Sox to a 13-9 win in a wild slugfest against the Houston Astros.

With the victory, the Sox took two out of three in the series and won the season series from the American League West-leading Astros, 4 games to 3.

So much for my concern about the Sox pitching staff needing to cover 27 innings in about 24 hours against a powerful Houston offense.

The Sox caught a break in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader, when Houston pitcher and Cy Young candidate Gerrit Cole could not make his start after straining his hamstring warming up in the bullpen.

To the Sox's credit, they took advantage and won that game, with their own starting pitcher (Ivan Nova) tossing a complete game. It is always a boost for a team when a pitcher steps up and throws all nine innings of a game on a day where you're playing a doubleheader. Bullpen saved.

Here's a look back at the Sox's surprising and satisfying series win:

Tuesday, Aug. 13
Astros 6, White Sox 2 (Game 1): It was a mixed bag for Sox starter Dylan Cease, who threw a quality start. He worked six innings, allowing four runs (only two earned) against a good team, and when he left the mound after facing one hitter in the seventh inning, the Sox were only down 3-2. He absolutely gave his team a chance to win.

And the third and fourth (unearned) runs on his tab were both the fault of catcher Welington Castillo, who had three passed balls, two of which allowed runs to score.

On the down side, Cease (2-5) walked five and struck out two, and you can only pitch around walks for so long until the opposition scores runs. I don't think Cease had the fairest strike zone from the home plate umpire, and he got no help from his catcher, but he can pitch better.

The Sox managed only two runs off Houston's Zack Greinke (12-4), who pitched six innings to earn the win.

Tuesday, Aug. 13
White Sox 4, Astros 1 (Game 2): Nova was the story. He needed only 104 pitches to complete the game. He allowed four hits, all singles, and did not walk a batter. He retired 17 of the last 18 men he faced in a game that took two hours, 21 minutes to play.

Over his past four starts, Nova (8-9) is 4-0 with a 0.49 ERA. Obviously, regression is coming, but in the meantime, I'll enjoy this Nova hot streak while it lasts and pray management doesn't reward him with a multiyear contract extension. This was his best start in a Sox uniform, bar none.

As mentioned, Cole was unable to make his start, and the Sox victimized emergency Houston starter Chris Devenski (1-2) for three runs in the bottom of the second inning. All the runs came with two outs, one on a single by Adam Engel and two more on a single by Ryan Goins.

The Sox added a fourth run in the fourth on a two-out RBI double by Ryan Cordell. Nova took it from there, and it was nice to see the Sox come through with some two-out hitting.

Wednesday, Aug. 14
White Sox 13, Astros 9: Speaking of two-out hitting, McCann was down 0-2 in the count when he drove a slider from Ryan Pressly into the right-field bullpen for a grand slam that broke a 9-9 tie in the eighth inning.

Pressly (2-3) is one of the Astros' better relievers. He entered the day with a 1.94 ERA, but he gave up singles to Yolmer Sanchez and Tim Anderson, and walked Jose Abreu, ahead of the big hit by McCann.

It is good to see the Sox catcher using right field again, something he wasn't doing throughout a monthlong slump in July.

This was a wild, back-and-forth game. Houston was up 2-0. The Sox went ahead 4-2. Houston tied it at 4. The Sox went ahead 7-4, and then 8-5. The Astros made it 8-7. Then Eloy Jimenez homered for the Sox to make it 9-7. Jose Altuve answered with a two-run blast to tie it for the Astros.

But the last big hit of the day went to McCann. For a change, the Sox hitters picked up the relief pitchers, who struggled in this game. Jimmy Cordero, Aaron Bummer and Evan Marshall combined to give up five runs over 2.2 innings.

But Alex Colome (4-2) got five outs for the win. He extricated the Sox from a bases-loaded situation in the eighth, and then worked a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts to close it out.

Reason to celebrate: White Sox don't play Oakland again this season

Mike Fiers

The White Sox played six games against the Oakland Athletics this season, and they were outscored 32-8. Yes, that's right: The Sox scored only eight runs in six games against Oakland pitching. In that context, it's a miracle they won one -- and that came Saturday night.

Here's a look back at the weekend series at Guaranteed Rate Field, during which the A's won two out of three games.

Friday, Aug. 9
A's 7, White Sox 0: Friday was one of those days when I looked at the pitching matchup and said, "The Sox have no chance today." They've never hit Mike Fiers well, and I never have high expectations for any Ross Detwiler start.

In fairness to Detwiler (1-3), there's was nothing wrong with his outing -- even though he took the loss. He went 5.2 innings and allowed two earned runs (both on solo home runs) on four hits. Matt Chapman homered in the first inning. Stephen Piscotty homered in the second.

That was plenty for Fiers (11-3), who struck out eight, walked nobody and allowed only three hits over seven shutout innings. The Sox finished the game with four hits, all singles.

The game got out of hand in the eighth inning, when the A's scored five runs off the combination of Jace Fry and Josh Osich. Fry failed to retire a hitter and was charged with four runs after he allowed two walks and two hits, including a home run by Chad Pinder.

Good job, good effort.

Saturday, Aug. 10
White Sox 3, A's 2: It was Eloy Jimenez bobblehead night, and the rookie left fielder marked the occasion by hitting his 19th home run of the season. The Sox scored their other two runs with speed. Leury Garcia stole third base and scored a run when the throw by Oakland catcher Chris Herrmann squirted away into shallow left field. Tim Anderson, while running on a 3-2 pitch, scored from first base on a single by Welington Castillo.

That backed a nice effort from Reynaldo Lopez (7-9), who navigated around six hits allowed and three walks to toss 6.1 shutout innings. Lopez did not have swing-and-miss stuff -- he struck out only three, but he benefited from three double plays.

The Sox bullpen was shaky, as Oakland stranded eight runners over the last three innings. The A's loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, when Jon Jay made a nice running catch in right field to save a potential bases-clearing double off Pinder's bat.

Oakland placed runners on first and second with two out in the eighth, and Anderson made a nice play to his left to throw out Piscotty for the third out.

The Sox led, 3-0, going into the ninth, but the A's scored two unearned runs against Alex Colome, who struck out Khris Davis with two outs and the bases loaded to earn his 23rd save of the season.

Sunday, Aug. 11
A's 2, White Sox 0: The Sox honored newly inducted Hall of Famer Harold Baines with a ceremony before the game (more on that later), and frankly, the team might as well have allowed the 60-year-old Baines to take an at-bat -- he couldn't have done any worse than the current Sox hitters did against Chris Bassitt (8-5) and three Oakland relievers.

The South Siders managed only five hits (four of them singles) and didn't have a man reach third base after the second inning.

Too bad because Lucas Giolito (12-6) struck out a career high 13 and walked only one in six innings pitched. Unfortunately, he had one bad inning where he allowed a two-run homer to Oakland's Matt Olson, and given the way Sox hitters handle Oakland pitching, that was enough to get him beat on this day.

In Giolito's previous outing, he wasn't sharp at all in allowing three runs over six innings to the lowly Detroit Tigers. But, he won that start. On Sunday, I thought he was impressive, but he lost. That's baseball for you; it's a funny game.

And we can only speculate why Oakland has seemingly owned the Sox for decades.

White Sox option Daniel Palka to Charlotte, claim AJ Reed off waivers

AJ Reed

Catching up on some roster comings and goings before the White Sox return from the All-Star break:

After Sunday's 3-1 victory over the Cubs, the Sox optioned outfielder Daniel Palka to Triple-A Charlotte. Palka, 27, made 10 plate appearances in his latest stint on the South Side and went 0 for 10.

His line for the season is ugly. He's 1 for 45 in 52 plate appearances with 18 strikeouts. His slash line now stands at .022/.154/.022.

It's hard to believe Palka was the feel-good story of the 2018 season, when he led the Sox with 27 home runs. This season, he's not going to get 27 hits at the big-league level, let alone 27 home runs, even if he gets recalled when rosters expand in September.

And at this point, it's fair to ask whether that will happen. We may have seen the last of Palka in a Sox uniform.

At the time of Palka's demotion, the Sox said they would make a corresponding roster move before Friday night's game against the Oakland Athletics. With injured veteran catcher Welington Castillo on a rehab assignment, I was assuming he would be the one added to the 25-man roster.

Turns out, the Sox claimed left-handed hitting first baseman AJ Reed off waivers from the Houston Astros. He is expected to be on the roster Friday night.

Reed, 26, once was ranked among the top 15 prospects in the game, but he's never been able to hit major league pitching. Over parts of three seasons with the Astros, he's hitting .153/.253/.244 with three home runs, three doubles, eight RBIs and 50 strikeouts in 150 career plate appearances.

He had a decent season at the Triple-A level last year, where he made the All-Star game and hit .255/.374/.540 with 28 home runs and 108 RBIs in 123 games.

However, Reed has fallen on hard times this season -- he's hitting only .224 with 12 home runs and 35 RBIs in 56 games at Triple-A Round Rock. Numbers such as those can cause you to fall off a 40-man roster. Now the Sox are taking a flyer on Reed, and this may be his last kick at the can to stick in the major leagues.

This probably means the DH at-bats against right-handed pitching will belong to Reed, not Zack Collins. This guess here is Collins goes back to Triple-A Charlotte, maybe as soon as this weekend, whenever Castillo is activated.

Collins has had limited at-bats since the Sox called him up, but he's done little with those opportunities. He walked in his first plate appearance and hit a 3-run homer in his second, but he is now hitless in his 25 plate appearances since -- although he has drawn five walks.

Still, the .045/.222/.182 slash line is hard to excuse, and it seems reasonable to say Collins could use some more time in Charlotte. He'll likely be headed there soon.

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.

James McCann and Lucas Giolito: Winning combination for White Sox

James McCann

When the White Sox signed catcher James McCann this offseason, I did not like the move. And why would anyone?

McCann was a below-average catcher in 2018. He batted .220/.267/.314 with only eight home runs, 16 doubles and 39 RBIs in 118 games for the Detroit Tigers.

The Tigers were one of the worst teams in the league -- only two wins better than the Sox at 64-98 -- and they chose not to offer McCann a contract.

Signing this player looked like the usual dumpster diving by the Sox front office. But for once, it appears Sox brass was right and I was wrong.

At the one-third mark of the season, McCann is hitting .350/.385/.528 with four home runs, 10 doubles and 12 RBIs. He's even got three stolen bases. Maybe his power numbers are so-so, but there's no arguing with that batting average and on-base percentage. He's been swinging the bat well since the season began.

And the Sox have been winning consistently when he starts behind the plate. Keep in mind this team is 25-29 overall. Here is the Sox's record with each starting catcher:

McCann: 18-12 (.600)
Welington Castillo: 7-16 (.304)
Seby Zavala: 0-1 (.000)
Total: 25-29 (.463)

Let's add one caveat here: McCann has caught all of Lucas Giolito's starts. The right-hander is 7-1 after his 4-3 win over the Royals on Tuesday night. In fact, Giolito has won each of his past five starts.

But isn't it interesting that Giolito's ERA has gone from 6.13 to 2.85 this season, and he's been quick to credit McCann for helping him make in-game adjustments during this career-best streak. Giolito has to make the pitches, yes, but his catcher is clearly helping him along.

McCann went 3 for 4 and scored the go-ahead run in Tuesday's win, so his bat is helping Giolito and other Sox pitchers as much as his game-calling.

No way is McCann going to hit .350 all year. His career slash line is .248/.295/.378. But even when the inevitable regression happens, McCann's numbers might be good enough to get an all-star nod in the American League this year.

The way he and Giolito are working together, they both might end up making the AL roster in mid-July.

Eloy Jimenez comes off the injured list; Nicky Delmonico optioned to Triple-A Charlotte

Eloy Jimenez

.186, .189 and .220.

I arrived at Guaranteed Rate Field on Sunday and looked at the White Sox starting lineup on the scoreboard, and it was hard not to notice the pathetic averages for the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 hitters in the batting order.

Yonder Alonso, Welington Castillo and Nicky Delmonico lived up to those ugly numbers, going 0 for 12 with five strikeouts in a 5-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

It's too bad, because a quality start by Reynaldo Lopez went to waste, and the Sox (21-24) missed an opportunity to take three out of four from the struggling Blue Jays (19-28). The South Siders had to settle for a split of the four-game series, and a split of the six-game homestand.

But there's help on the way. Eloy Jimenez has been activated off the injured list and is in the lineup for the series opener Monday against the Houston Astros. Jimenez has been out since spraining his ankle April 26 in a collision with the left-field wall. He went 7 for 22 with a homer in five games on a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Charlotte.

To make room on the roster, the Sox optioned Delmonico to Charlotte. His batting average is down to .206, and we know he isn't much with the glove, either. It's hard to see a role for Delmonico in Chicago over the long haul. He'll likely be joining Adam Engel on the organizational scrap heap.

As for Jimenez, it's a relief to have him back. The injury, when it happened, looked bad enough that I thought Jimenez would be sidelined until at least June 1. It's May 20, and he's returning. Hopefully, he doesn't have any run-ins with the Crawford boxes in left field in Houston, and hopefully, he can help provide some lineup protection for Jose Abreu.

This figures to be a challenging week for the Sox. They are on the road to play the two best teams in the American League -- the Astros (31-16) and the Minnesota Twins (30-16).

It's a seven-game trip, and I'd be thrilled with 3-4. Frankly, I'd take 2-5 right now if you offered it to me.

White Sox split two-game series with Cleveland Indians

It's a good thing the White Sox won Monday. There was no reason to be optimistic about Tuesday's matchup with Carlos Carrasco pitching for the Cleveland Indians and the hapless Manny Banuelos pitching for the Sox. That game went as expected.

So, the Sox (19-22) split this brief two-game home series against Cleveland and now are 4-4 against the Indians (22-19) this season.

Let's take a look back at the series.

Monday, May 13
White Sox 5, Indians 2: The game started ominously for Reynaldo Lopez, as Cleveland leadoff man Francisco Lindor hit a 435-foot home run off him on his third pitch of the night.

However, that was the only earned run Lopez (3-4) allowed over 7.2 innings, the longest outing by a Sox starter so far this season.The right-hander limited the Indians to only two hits while striking out six and walking two.

The Sox hit four solo home runs, two of them by third baseman Yoan Moncada, who now has nine homers for the season. It was good night all around for Moncada, who went 3 for 4 to raise his average to .289. That .877 OPS looks pretty good. I would like to see that stick for the whole season.

Jose Abreu also homered -- his team-high 10th -- and Welington Castillo hit his third home run of the season. Castillo also doubled and scored on a double by Yolmer Sanchez in the seventh.

Aaron Bummer got the final out of the eighth in relief of Lopez, and Alex Colome worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his eighth save in as many chances. Good win.

Tuesday, May 14
Indians 9, White Sox 0: The Sox have been outscored 29-2 in the past three games that Banuelos (2-3) has started. The meager two runs scored are not Banuelos' fault. The 29 runs allowed very much are his fault.

The left-hander left in the fifth inning with some sort of shoulder ailment, but not before he gave up five earned runs, including three homers. This guy just isn't rotation material, and I'm still aggravated that the Sox came into the season believing he could help them. That 7.26 ERA says otherwise.

Now, Banuelos might need to go on the injured list, so the Sox will need a replacement for the replacement. Honestly, I couldn't tell you what direction they are going to go, assuming they are going to stick to their guns and not call up Dylan Cease. Jordan Stephens is on the 40-man roster, but he has a 9.48 ERA at Triple-A Charlotte this season. No, he's not a viable option.

Offensively, the Sox were quiet against Carrasco, who tossed seven shutout innings. Same as it ever was.

The Sox have a day off Wednesday in advance of this weekend's four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The rest is probably coming at a good time.

White Sox sweep snow-abbreviated series vs. Detroit Tigers

Tim Anderson

Tim Anderson apparently isn't listening to the Kansas City Royals.

The White Sox shortstop hit a game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday night, and he punctuated the moment with a bat flip similar to the one that provoked a benches-clearing incident with the Royals on April 17.

Nope, he isn't changing his ways.

The home run capped a 12-11 victory over the Detroit Tigers, and the Sox went on to sweep a snow-abbreviated, two-game series. Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, April 26
White Sox 12, Tigers 11: Coming into the game, you figured the recipe for a Sox victory would include a quality start by Carlos Rodon. You would be wrong. Rodon pitched terrible, giving up eight earned runs, including three homers, in three-plus innings.

After the top of the fifth inning, the Sox trailed, 9-2. But they stormed back with two runs in the fifth inning, five in the sixth inning and two more in the seventh.

It should have been three in the seventh. Jose Abreu hit what should have been a three-run homer, but he passed Anderson on the bases rounding first. He was called out and credited with a two-run single.

That was a dumb play, but nevertheless, Abreu had a great night -- 4 for 5 with five RBIs, including a home run that actually counted during the five-run sixth. Yonder Alonso and Jose Rondon also homered for the Sox, and Anderson totaled four hits.

Anderson connected on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the ninth, a hanging slider from reliever Joe Jimenez (1-1), and sent it into the left-field seats to break an 11-11 tie.

That made a winner of reliever Alex Colome (1-0), who worked a scoreless ninth.

All that said, we might have buried the lead here. Rookie left fielder Eloy Jimenez was injured in the third inning when he crashed into the wall chasing a home run hit by Detroit catcher Grayson Greiner. The future of the rebuild hung in the balance as Jimenez writhed about on the warning track in pain.

Diagnosis: high ankle sprain. Jimenez will be re-evaluated in two weeks. That means he'll likely be out at least a month. He's lucky he didn't break his leg, and this is why I recently called for him to receive more DH at-bats.

Saturday, April 27
Tigers at White Sox, ppd. snow: I was holding tickets to this game, and I'm glad it didn't happen. We had a freak late-April snowstorm in Chicago. It was that heavy, wet snow that leaves slush on the road.

The 6:10 p.m. game was postponed by 10:30 a.m. Good decision. You can't play baseball when there's a winter storm warning.

Sunday, April 28
White Sox 4, Tigers 1: Reynaldo Lopez tossed the most dominating six innings of his career, totaling 14 strikeouts against three walks. He allowed only one unearned run on two hits.

The right-hander's fastball overpowered Detroit hitters. Thirteen of the 14 strikeouts came on the four-seamer, and they were evenly distributed. Lopez (2-3) struck out the side in the second and sixth innings, and he had two strikeouts in each of the other four innings he pitched.

Instead of having to play from behind, the Sox took the lead in the first inning for a change. Welington Castillo's two-out, two-strike double with the bases loaded gave the South Siders a 2-0 lead.

Detroit nicked Lopez for an unearned run in the second, and the game remained 2-1 until the seventh. Matthew Boyd pitched well for the Tigers through six, but the Sox scored one in the seventh and one in the eighth against the Detroit bullpen.

A squeeze bunt from Leury Garcia plated the run in the seventh. Yolmer Sanchez added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

Jace Fry, Kelvin Herrera and Colome each worked a scoreless inning of relief. Colome picked up his fifth save.

Each reliever struck out two, so Sox pitchers totaled 20 strikeouts for the game. Yeah, that's a team record for a nine-inning game.

Next up for the Sox (11-14): a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles, starting Monday night.

Catching options available to the White Sox

Yasmani Grandal

With Omar Narvaez and Kevan Smith both having moved on, Welington Castillo is the only catcher on the White Sox's 40-man roster who you would expect to be in the majors when the 2019 season opens.

Seby Zavala most likely will start the season at Triple-A Charlotte, so that means there's a move to be made behind the plate. Will it be someone who will start, relegating Castillo to a backup role? Or is Castillo the starter, with the Sox looking to add a second-stringer to the roster?

I've heard a lot of Sox fans say they want to see the the team sign a "one-year stopgap" at catcher. OK, but isn't that what Castillo is? He is a veteran with one guaranteed year remaining on his contract (there's a team option for 2020) at a value of $7.25 million. For me, that's the stopgap. Where is the long-term solution?

We'll see what the Sox do. There's a lengthy list of free agent catchers available.

At the top of that list is Yasmani Grandal, who might have hurt his market with a struggling performance for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. But Grandal has a track record of being able to both hit and play his position, and he's clearly a superior player to Castillo and all of the other catchers on the free agent market.

If the Sox are looking for someone who can hit, but is just OK behind the plate, Wilson Ramos is available. Want a glove-first guy? How about Martin Maldonado? He can't hit, but he's a good receiver.

Jonathan Lucroy and Matt Wieters aren't as good as they used to be, but they are available if the Sox want to make it two one-year stopgaps behind the plate.

Caleb Joseph and James McCann were non-tendered by their previous clubs. If the Sox sign either of those guys, it would be cheapening out, so I hope they don't go that route.

A few other guys might be available in a trade: J.T. Realmuto, Francisco Cervelli and Russell Martin.

Realmuto is the top-of-the-line option. He has two years remaining on his contract, and would come at a heavy price in any deal with the Miami Marlins. Cervelli and Martin both have one year remaining on their contracts -- again stopgap options -- and I would say Cervelli still can contribute. He's a lot like Ramos. He can hit, and his catching is neither great nor terrible.

Martin, to me, is about done at age 36. He hit .194 last season, and I'd be inclined to stay away.

Which of these catchers will be joining the Sox in 2019? Or will it be someone I have not mentioned here?

White Sox trade catcher Omar Narvaez to Seattle for pitcher Alex Colome

Omar Narvaez

The White Sox on Friday made a trade that I didn't see coming.

Catcher Omar Narvaez has been dealt to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for relief pitcher Alex Colome.

I can't say I mind this trade. The Sox's defense behind the plate has been terrible the past few years, and Narvaez's questionable framing and blocking skills were a big part of the problem.

However, Narvaez made significant strides with the bat in 2018, finishing with a .275/.366/.429 slash line with nine home runs and 30 RBIs in 97 games. He was one of the few Sox hitters who took his walks, and his power took a significant leap forward. Narvaez's slugging percentage was 89 points higher last season than it was in 2017.

When Kevan Smith was lost on waivers to the Los Angeles Angels, I assumed the Sox would go into 2019 with Welington Castillo and Narvaez as their catching combination, with Seby Zavala as a fallback option.

Evidently not. Is Zavala a candidate to make the team out of spring? Not sure. Or is there another move to come?

I'm good with the addition of Colome, a 29-year-old veteran reliever with 243 career appearances and 96 saves on his resume. In 2017, he had a league-high 47 saves for the Tampa Bay Rays.

This past year, Colome struggled in Tampa Bay. He went 2-5 with a 4.15 ERA and 11 saves over 23 appearances. He was dealt midseason to Seattle, where he regained his form.

In 47 games with the Mariners, Colome went 5-0 with a 2.53 ERA, one save and a 1.036 WHIP. If that's the pitcher the Sox are getting, he will look good in a bullpen that is young and short on experience in high-leverage situations.

Dylan Cease, three other prospects added to White Sox 40-man-roster

Some White Sox roster moves to catch up on:

Pitchers Dylan Cease, Jordan Stephens and Kodi Medeiros and catcher Seby Zavala were added to the 40-man roster Tuesday. The moves protect each of these players from being selected in the upcoming Rule 5 draft.

Cease was the most obvious addition. With Michael Kopech out for 2019 with an elbow injury, Cease is the top-rated healthy pitching prospect in the Sox's system. He finished the season at Double-A Birmingham, where he went 3-0 with an 0.94 ERA in his last nine starts. If Cease remains healthy and continues on a positive development path, we could see him in Chicago during the second half of the 2019 season.

Medeiros, a 22-year-old lefty, was acquired in July in the trade that sent relief pitcher Joakim Soria to the Milwaukee Brewers. Combined between the two organizations, Medeiros appeared in 27 games (22 starts) at the Double-A level and went 7-7 with a 3.60 ERA.

Stephens, 26, is a right-hander who is reaching that pivotal point where he either makes it to the big leagues and fades away. He split time between Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte in 2018, going 8-10 with a 4.23 ERA over a combined 28 starts at the two levels.

Zavala, 25, becomes the third catcher on the roster behind Welington Castillo and Omar Narvaez, and he figures to be the guy to get the call should either of those two incumbents get injured or falter in 2018. Zavala was a Southern League All-Star at Birmingham before earning a midseason promotion to Charlotte. He hit .258 with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs in a combined 104 games at the two levels. He also threw out 32.7 percent (18 for 55) of attempted basestealers.

Left-handed pitcher Ian Clarkin, who was acquired from the New York Yankees in the 2017 trade involving David Robertson, Todd Frazier and Tommy Kahnle, no longer is with the Sox organization after he was claimed off waivers by the Cubs.

Of note, pitchers Spencer Adams and Jordan Guerrero were not added to the 40-man roster, which makes them vulnerable to be chosen in the Rule 5 draft. It's clear from these decisions that the Sox believe Stephens and Medeiros are more likely as middle tier prospects to make contributions at the major-league level moving forward.

Right now, the Sox have three starting rotation spots filled (Carlos Rodon, Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito). The other two spots seem likely to be addressed through free agency or trade, but if not, Stephens and Medeiros would have an inside track over Adams or Guerrero in competing for a job.

After these moves, the Sox's roster stands at 38. So, for those of you dreaming -- and you are dreaming -- that the Sox could sign BOTH Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, there are two roster spots open.

White Sox activate Matt Davidson from 10-day DL

Matt Davidson

The White Sox on Monday activated infielder Matt Davidson from the 10-day disabled list and optioned catcher Alfredo Gonzalez and infielder Matt Skole to Triple-A Charlotte.

Davidson, who is hitting .243 with 11 home runs and 28 RBIs in 42 games this season, has been out since May 25 with back spasms.

Gonzalez, who was called up when Welington Castillo was suspended for 80 games for PED usage, went 1 for 9 in his short big-league stint. He collected his first hit and first RBI on Sunday with a game-tying single in the fifth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Skole went 3 for 11 with a solo home run in four games. He became the sixth Sox player in team history to homer in his first major-league game May 28 at Cleveland.

The moves leave the Sox's active roster at 24 men. We'll see two more players added before Tuesday's doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins.

Obviously, one of the two will be a catcher. Both Kevan Smith and Dustin Garneau are on the 40-man roster. We shall see which player gets the call. I predict it will be Smith.

The Sox also can add a "26th man" for the doubleheader. It likely will not be a starting pitcher -- both Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez have had enough rest to pitch Tuesday. I figure we'll see a reliever who is on the 40-man roster, such as Juan Minaya or Greg Infante, but only for a day.

Carlos Rodon likely will be activated from the 60-day disabled list before the week is over, but that probably won't happen Tuesday, since Rodon just pitched for Triple-A Charlotte on his rehab assignment Sunday. I would not be surprised to see him pitch for the Sox on Friday against Boston.