Catching up on White Sox roster moves: Encarnacion, Garcia, Gonzalez, etc.

Leury Garcia

The White Sox made several roster moves over the weekend. Let's get caught up:

• Designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion's $12 million club option was declined.
• Utility player Leury Garcia's $3.5 million club option was picked up.
• Left-handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez had his $7 million club option declined.
• Infielder Yolmer Sanchez was placed on waivers and claimed by the Baltimore Orioles.
• Right-handed pitcher Michael Kopech was reinstated from the restricted list.
• Right-handed pitcher Jimmy Lambert was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list.

The series of moves leaves the Sox's 40-man roster at 36 players.

There aren't many surprises on this list. The 37-year-old Encarnacion might retire after a struggling year -- if he wants to play in 2021, he might need to sign a minor-league deal and try to make a roster out of spring training.

Gonzalez was a combination of hurt and bad in 2020, and with Kopech and Lambert returning to the active roster, they join a back-of-the-rotation logjam that includes Dylan Cease and Dane Dunning -- and possibly Reynaldo Lopez, if he's tendered a contract. That makes Gonzalez expendable. 

Garcia's option being picked up is the only move here that some may disagree with. We discussed it earlier on this blog: We cited Garcia's option and Alex Colome's impending free agency as being among the tougher roster calls the Sox had/have on their plate this offseason.

Turns out, Sox brass feels Garcia's ability to play multiple positions -- in both the infield and the outfield -- switch-hit and pinch-run makes him worth the $3.5 million.

Garcia has shown he can play that role, but the question mark with him is not his performance. It is his health. Garcia was limited to 16 games and 59 at-bats in 2020 because he tore ligaments in his left thumb with an ill-advised slide into first base. This is a player who is good for at least one trip to the injured list every year.

Because of that, you could make the case (and I have) that the Sox would have been better off buying out Garcia for $250,000, saving that money and allowing Adam Engel and Danny Mendick to be the key bench players at a cheaper price. I would not have objected at all had the Sox gone that route, provided that $3.5 million was invested wisely in roster improvements elsewhere.

However, here's the argument for keeping Garcia: Shortstop Tim Anderson also is good for one trip to the injured list pretty much every year. It's not uncommon to see Anderson miss a couple of weeks here and there for a strained groin or a turned ankle, and when that happens, Garcia is a guy you want around to play shortstop.

I like Mendick's defense at second base and third base. His hands are good, and he turns the double play acceptably well when he's at second base. However, he doesn't have the athleticism Garcia has, which limits his range at shortstop, and Garcia also possesses a stronger arm.

If and when Anderson needs to sit out, Garcia is a better choice at shortstop than Mendick. Garcia costs more, sure, but the Sox have apparently decided that price is worth it.

White Sox quiet as trade deadline passes Monday

Mike Clevinger

Major League Baseball's trade deadline passed Monday afternoon, and the White Sox made no major moves.

Sure, they tinkered on the margins of the roster, activating infielder Yolmer Sanchez and designating infielder Ryan Goins for assignment, but I don't think that's the move Sox fans had in mind.

The South Siders were rumored to be interested in starting pitchers, with Cleveland's Mike Clevinger, Texas' Lance Lynn, the Los Angeles Angels' Dylan Bundy and Arizona's Robbie Ray among the names mentioned.

As it turns out, Lynn and Bundy stayed put. Ray was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, and Clevinger went to the San Diego Padres as part of a blockbuster nine-player swap.

Given the prospect haul the Padres gave the Indians, I do not believe the Sox could have matched that deal. And, frankly, I wouldn't have traded that much for Clevinger, who has had some injuries the past couple of seasons. I'm not convinced he is the "finishing piece" the Sox need.

I would have been interested in Lynn for the right price. The 33-year-old has a reasonably priced contract for 2021 ($8 million), and he could have helped the Sox in the middle of the rotation both this year and next. However, I was not willing to part with any of Michael Kopech, Nick Madrigal or Andrew Vaughn to acquire Lynn. If that was the asking price -- and none of us here knows that for sure -- then I believe Sox general manager Rick Hahn was right to pass.

It is somewhat disappointing the Sox didn't add to their bullpen, given the more reasonable asking prices for relievers, Aaron Bummer's status on the injured list, and the struggles we saw the Sox have over the weekend trying to bridge the gap between their starting pitchers and closer Alex Colome.

Right now, the middle reliever that Sox manager Rick Renteria seems to trust most is Evan Marshall. Beyond that, he's throwing darts, overusing Jimmy Cordero and lacking a left-handed reliever that can be used in high-leverage situations. (Garrett Crochet, anyone?)

When I saw David Phelps move from Milwaukee to Philadelphia and Archie Bradley move from Arizona to Cincinnati for reasonable prices, I thought to myself, "Damn, the Sox couldn't outbid those teams?"

Thinking back to SoxFest, we all knew at that time that the Sox had four great prospects -- Luis Robert, Madrigal, Vaughn and Kopech. But beyond that, the organizational depth was looking a little thin. I asked Hahn in January whether the Sox had enough prospect capital to swing midseason deals to patch holes in the roster for the playoff drive.

Of course, he gave a long-winded answer of "yes," but it turns out the answer was "no."

Too bad, because the Sox are certainly in good position with 25 games to play in the 60-game season. They stand at 22-13 after Monday's come-from-behind, 8-5 win over the Minnesota Twins. They lead Cleveland by one game in the AL Central. They are 2.5 games ahead of the Twins.

Yolmer Sanchez returns to White Sox on minor-league deal

Yolmer Sanchez

Infielder Yolmer Sanchez is returning to the White Sox on a minor-league-deal, reports say.

Sanchez, 28, recently requested his release from the San Francisco Giants in order to "pursue other opportunities." He won an American League Gold Glove Award as the Sox's primary second baseman in 2019, but he was nontendered during the offseason because his bat isn't nearly as good as his glove.

Sanchez slashed .252/.318/.321 with only two home runs, 20 doubles and 43 RBIs last season.

However, it didn't work out for him in San Francisco, and the Sox find themselves in need of infield depth. Second baseman Nick Madrigal remains on the injured list with a separated shoulder, and all-purpose player Leury Garcia is done for the year after tearing ligaments in his thumb on an ill-advised dive into first base.

Danny Mendick has filled in admirably at second base, but third baseman Yoan Moncada has been laboring around the field, grimacing every time he has to run out a ground ball and struggling to play his position. Clearly, Moncada is operating at less than 100%, but he needs to be on the field because with Madrigal and Garcia out, the next-best infield option is ... Ryan Goins. (Gulp.)

Enter Sanchez, who despite his weaknesses with the bat is a capable fielder no matter where you put him on the infield. He's a switch-hitter, and he is better offensively than the journeyman Goins.

I expect Sanchez to get some reps in at the Sox's alternate site in Schaumburg, and then eventually replace Goins on the 28-man roster.

So, let's welcome Sanchez back to the Sox organization with our traditional song:

Yolmer Sanchez is headed to San Francisco

Yolmer Sanchez

On Friday night, a fan at SoxFest asked general manager Rick Hahn if "GOLD GLOVE WINNER Yolmer Sanchez would ever wear a White Sox uniform again."

Yes, he really did shout "Gold Glove winner" for emphasis. Hahn, of course, talked like a lawyer, didn't rule it out, and said that the organization has a high opinion of Sanchez.

Well, that fan is going to be disappointed, because Sanchez reportedly has a minor-league deal with the San Francisco Giants.

Sanchez apparently turned down a couple of major-league offers, because he doesn't want to resign himself to backup status. He believes he can win a starting job in San Francisco. Can't blame a guy for wanting that.

Certainly, Sanchez is a fine defensive second baseman. I always appreciated his quick hands turning the double play. But, I also agreed with the Sox's decision to non-tender him because of his weak bat and increasing price tag. It was believed Sanchez could earn as much as $6 million this season in arbitration.

Sanchez batted .252/.318/.321 with two home runs and 43 RBIs during the 2019 season. He struck out 117 times and posted an OPS+ of 73. Yuck. Not worth the money.

We all know Nick Madrigal is going to get an opportunity to play second base for the Sox at some point this season. That made Sanchez expendable. If the Sox want a stopgap until Madrigal arrives, they should sign someone who can hit and provide a bench bat later in the season.

Maybe it would be worthwhile to kick the tires on Brian Dozier.

White Sox sign James McCann to one-year deal, clear more roster space

James McCann

The White Sox on Monday agreed to terms with catcher James McCann on a one-year, $5.4 million contract.

McCann, 29, had the best season of his career with the Sox in 2019. He batted .273/.328/.460 with 26 doubles, 18 home runs, 60 RBIs and 62 runs scored in 118 games. McCann made the All-Star Game for the first time in his career, and Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito credited McCann's leadership and game preparation in helping him have a breakout season on the mound.

While McCann played well, that didn't stop Sox management from signing Yasmani Grandal to a four-year, $73 million contract last month. With the addition of Grandal, the Sox are guarding against any regression that McCann may have in 2020 -- McCann is a lifetime .247/.328/.460 batter.

With this move, you figure the Sox are set at catcher. For the first time in a long time, they have two competent players ready to man the position.

McCann will become a free agent when the 2020 season ends.

Here are the tender/non-tender decisions

The Sox on Monday also tendered contracts to utility player Leury Garcia and pitchers Carlos Rodon, Alex Colome and Evan Marshall.

Second baseman Yolmer Sanchez and pitchers Caleb Frare and Ryan Burr were non-tendered. Pitcher Thyago Vieira was granted his release, so that he can pursue an opportunity to play in Japan.

These moves reduce the Sox's roster from 40 to 36, and hopefully, a couple of those spots will be used on free agent starting pitchers in the weeks to come.

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.

Yolmer Sanchez wins Gold Glove for AL second baseman, other White Sox notes

Yolmer Sanchez

Second baseman Yolmer Sanchez became the first White Sox position player in 21 years to win a Gold Glove earlier this week, beating out Houston's Jose Altuve and New York's DJ LeMahieu for the American League award at his position.

The Sox have had their fair share of Gold Gloves won by pitchers -- Mark Buehrle and Jake Peavy -- but no South Side position player had won the award since Robin Ventura took top honors at third base in 1998.

This might have been Sanchez's first and last chance to win a Gold Glove. He's a non-tender candidate this offseason because of his weak bat, and even if the Sox do bring him back at a reduced salary, he probably won't be the everyday second baseman anymore -- especially with Nick Madrigal waiting in the wings.

Of course, it's possible Sanchez leaves the Sox, catches on with another rebuilding team, wins a starting job and earns another Gold Glove. But the guess here is this was his one and only hurrah.

Abreu gets qualifying offer

First baseman Jose Abreu received the one-year, $17.8 million qualifying offer from the Sox. He has 10 days to accept it, or become a free agent.

That would be a more-than-fair salary for Abreu, but I'm thinking he would like a multiyear deal. The Sox may very well give one to him, but it probably will be for less AAV.

I'm guessing two years, $25 million. Does that seem fair for a soon-to-be-33-year-old slugger who is productive but one-dimensional?

Martinez staying in Boston

For those who were hoping the Sox could sign J.D. Martinez to be their DH for next season, your hopes are dashed.

Martinez opted in to the three years and $62 million remaining on his contract with the Boston Red Sox.

A smart move by Martinez, in my view. Even though Martinez remains an elite run producer, there probably aren't more than three or four teams looking for a DH this offseason (the Sox, obviously, are one.).

I'm not sure Martinez would able to get better, either in terms of years or in AAV on the open market, with so few likely suitors.

Yolmer Sanchez, Lucas Giolito finalists for Gold Glove award

Yolmer Sanchez

One bit of White Sox news from this week that I neglected to mention: Second baseman Yolmer Sanchez and pitcher Lucas Giolito are finalists for the Gold Glove award in the American League.

Sanchez was expected to be a finalist, and he may even win the award. With 12 defensive runs saved this season, he has the edge over fellow finalists DJ LeMahieu (5 defensive runs saved) of the New York Yankees and Jose Altuve (-2 defensive runs saved) of the Houston Astros.

I'm thinking Altuve is a finalist for this award because he's a terrific hitter on a great team. What does that have to do with the Gold Glove, a defensive honor? Absolutely nothing, but we've see guys win Gold Gloves because of name recognition and offensive prowess before.

LeMahieu is a terrific overall player, but he made only 66 starts at second base. Because of his versatility, the Yankees used him all over the diamond. He played first base in the playoffs, so from that perspective, I'd be a little surprised if he gets an award for his defense at second base.

So, yes, I think Sanchez has a very good chance.

I'd be a little more surprised if Giolito wins the award. I didn't expect him to be a finalist, but hey, the guy who usually wins the Gold Glove for pitchers in the AL (Dallas Keuchel) pitches in the National League now. Somebody else has to win.

Giolito joins Seattle's Mike Leake and Minnesota's Jose Berrios as finalists. I don't necessarily think of Giolito as being great at defending his position, but if I had to make a case for him, there is this: Only six base runners attempted to steal against him in 2019, and three of them got thrown out. By way of comparison, 26 of 30 base runners were successful in attempting to steal against Giolito in 2018.

He really cleaned his game up when it came to holding runners close and not allowing guys to just take another 90 feet at will. Giolito improved in several facets in 2019, and that is one. We'll see if it translates into Gold Glove votes.

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.

White Sox win three-game series against Philadelphia Phillies

Jose Abreu

The White Sox have won only two series since the All-Star break. Somewhat amusingly, both of them were on the road against playoff contenders.

The South Siders took two out of three from the Tampa Bay Rays (65-48) from July 19-21, and now, they took two out of three from the Philadelphia Phillies (58-53) in an interleague series over the weekend.

Going into the series, I thought the Sox (48-61) had a puncher's chance in two of the three games -- based upon pitching matchups -- and it turns out they won both those games in which I thought they had a chance.

Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, Aug. 2
White Sox 4, Phillies 3, 15 innings: This was one of the most wild games you'll see. The Sox essentially outlasted Philadelphia, because the Phillies had an outfielder on the mound and a pitcher playing left field when the game ended.

That said, Philadelphia pitcher Vince Velasquez made three spectacular plays in left field. He threw out Jose Abreu at the plate to keep the Sox off the board in the top of the 14th. He made perhaps a better throw in the top of the 15th, but the speedy Leury Garcia was just barely safe at home on an single to left by Abreu.

Velasquez also made a diving catch on a liner off the bat of Eloy Jimenez. Two were on with two out at the time, so if that one falls in, the Sox score at least two more runs in that 15th inning. Alas, the 4-3 lead had to be enough, and it was.

Josh Osich (1-0) worked two innings of scoreless relief to earn the win for the Sox. Outfielder Roman Quinn (0-1) got through the 14th inning unscathed while pitching, but he took the loss after giving up the aforementioned run in the 15th.

The starting pitchers in this game were Ivan Nova and Jason Vargas -- mediocre at-best veterans. I figured this was anybody's game, and the Sox won it.

Saturday, Aug. 3
Phillies 3, White Sox 2: This was the game that I thought the Sox would lose, with Philadelphia ace Aaron Nola pitching against Ross Detwiler. And, in fact, Nola (10-2) won and Detwiler (1-2) lost, although we can give the Sox's left-hander credit for not making a fool out of himself.

The day after a 15-inning game, Detwiler chewed up 5.2 innings and gave up only two runs -- back-to-back home runs by Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins.

Down 2-1 in the seventh, the Sox had runners at second and third with only one out, but a ill-fated safety squeeze killed that rally. Yolmer Sanchez made a decent bunt, but Hoskins, the Philadelphia first baseman, obviously knew it was coming. He easily threw out Jimenez at the plate, from about 50 feet away.

Memo to Sox manager Rick Renteria: Please stop with the safety squeeze bunt. The opposition knows it is coming, and it is foolish to play for the tie on the road anyway. I know the Sox strike out way too much, but the excessive reliance on bunting isn't winning games for this team, either.

Sunday, Aug. 4
White Sox 10, Phillies 5: Coming into this game, the Sox had scored only 44 runs in their previous 22 games, so it was refreshing to see them put some runs up against Drew Smyly and the Philadelphia bullpen.

Garcia's grand slam highlighted a five-run second inning. Jimenez connected for a three-run homer, his 18th of the season and first since July 14, and Tim Anderson added a solo home run in the ninth.

I figured Reynaldo Lopez and Smyly was a fair fight in terms of the pitching matchup, and Lopez (6-9) survived some rough moments the third time through the batting order to pick up the victory.

He went 5.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits. That's where it helps to have the run support. Philadelphia cut the lead to 5-3 in the sixth and had two men on base, but Aaron Bummer entered and got an inning-ending double play to settle things down and end the Phillies best chance to tie or take the lead.

Tim Anderson is hurt, but at least Jose Abreu came up with a big home run

Tim Anderson

Just when it looked as though the White Sox were going to get swept in Boston and limp home (literally) with a 2-6 record on their eight-game road trip, Jose Abreu flipped the script.

The Sox's first baseman capped a three-hit, four-RBI performance Wednesday with a two-run homer with one out in the ninth off Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes. The blast turned a 7-6 Sox deficit into an 8-7 victory and put an end to an afternoon of frustration that saw the South Siders blow the 6-3 lead they had going into the bottom of the seventh inning.

It was a long, tough trip, with two games against the Cubs, three against the Texas Rangers and three against the Red Sox. My hope was that the Sox would manage a win in each stadium, and that's exactly what they did. A 3-5 record is hardly brilliant, but given the lack of starting pitching and a taxed bullpen, cobbling together a few victories against three hard-hitting teams is good enough for now.

The worst news for the Sox? Shortstop Tim Anderson, who is in the midst of a breakout year, left Tuesday night's game in Boston (a 6-3 loss) with a high ankle sprain. Anderson's X-rays were negative, and he was scheduled for a MRI on Wednesday. When I saw the play, I feared a season-ending torn Achilles, so if it's not that, I feel lucky.

Nevertheless, Anderson is going to miss some time. How much time is unclear, but I would expect him to be placed on the injured list during Thursday's off day, before the Sox open a three-game weekend series at home against the Minnesota Twins.

Former Kansas City Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar has been playing at Triple-A Charlotte this season, and some think he'll get the call-up as a result of Anderson's misfortune.

I'm not so sure. The Sox have three players on the 25-man roster -- Leury Garcia, Jose Rondon and Yolmer Sanchez -- who have played shortstop in their careers. They also have only three starting pitchers on the roster, and no starting pitcher has been named for Friday's series opener against the Twins.

Both Ivan Nova and Lucas Giolito are receiving an extra day of rest in between starts. They will pitch Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Does that make Friday night another bullpen day? The Sox just did that Tuesday. Or will they call up another starter?

Either way, I think a pitcher replaces Anderson on the roster. It's either another starter to pitch Friday night, or it's a bullpen arm to help get through Friday's game.

Fans hoping to see either Escobar or Danny Mendick may have to wait. Even if the already-present options at shortstop aren't great, they are still better than the options among starting pitchers.

Of course, the White Sox got swept by the Nationals

Reynaldo Lopez

We should have known the White Sox weren't actually going to get back to .500, right? After a 6-1 homestand, the South Siders briefly sustained the momentum by jumping out to a 5-0 lead against Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg on Tuesday night.

Alas, they had the wrong guy pitching. Reynaldo Lopez blew the whole thing, the Sox lost, and the Nationals went on to sweep the two-game series.

In Lopez's past three starts, he has been handed 4-1, 7-1 and 5-0 leads. He has won none of those games, and the Sox (29-32) as a team are only 1-2 in those three contests. That's not how it's supposed to work as a starting pitcher.

Lopez is 3-6 with a 6.62 ERA after he posted a respectable 3.91 ERA in 32 starts in 2018. He's the opposite of Lucas Giolito, who stunk last season and is pitching well in 2019. If the Sox had any rotation depth whatsoever, Lopez would be a candidate for demotion to Triple-A Charlotte.

Here's a look back at this brief, disastrous series in Washington:

Tuesday, June 4
Nationals 9, White Sox 5: Lopez walked two men to start the third inning and both of them scored. He gave up a solo home run to Howie Kendrick in the fourth and a three-run homer to Anthony Rendon in the fifth. The homer by Rendon was Lopez's last pitch of the night, a hanging, get-me-over slider, and he left the mound trailing, 6-5.

Josh Osich provided little relief, giving up three more runs before the fifth inning was over. Lopez's final line: 4+ innings, 6 runs, all earned, five hits, four strikeouts, four walks and two home runs allowed. Fifty-four of his 92 pitches were strikes, but it felt much worse than that. His fastball command was terrible, and he could not throw an offspeed pitch for a strike -- except for that hanger to Rendon.

It's too bad, too, because the Sox cuffed Strasburg around for four runs in the first inning, capped by a two-out, two-run single by Yolmer Sanchez. Yoan Moncada added a long solo home run in the second inning to make it 5-0, and the Sox were in position to get back to .500.

Alas, it was not to be.

Wednesday, June 5
Nationals 6, White Sox 4: This was a more conventional Sox loss, characterized by three errors, leadoff walks that came back to bite them in the ass, and of course, a failed bunt in the ninth inning that killed a potential winning rally.

The Sox never lead, and they played poorly, so we can't really say they should have won. However, they had their chances. Alex Colome (2-1) had his worst outing of the season, his first failure in a high-leverage spot. He entered with the score tied at 4 in the bottom of the ninth inning. He walked Brian Dozier on four pitches and gave up a game-ending homer to Trea Turner on a 3-2 fastball.

The Sox had battled back from a 4-1 deficit with three runs in the eighth. Jose Abreu's two-run homer made it 4-3, and Welington Castillo's solo shot tied it.

Alas, it was not to be.

Hey, at least Dylan Covey wasn't terrible. He pitched five innings and allowed two runs. And Moncada homered for the second straight game, which is nice.

The winning on the last homestand was exciting, but I'll go back to my usual combination of apathy and cynicism now.

Finally, Ivan Nova pitches well at Guaranteed Rate Field

Ivan Nova

White Sox starting pitcher Ivan Nova has three wins this season. He's managed to beat Trevor Bauer, Marcus Stroman and Gerrit Cole -- three pitchers you wouldn't expect him to outpitch. But outpitch them he did.

The other thing that stands out about Nova: All three of those wins have come on the road. Check out his home-and-road splits coming into Monday's game against the Kansas City Royals:

Home: 0-2, 16.36 ERA in three starts, 11 IP, 24 H, 20 ER, 8 Ks, 7 BBs, 5 HRs allowed
Road: 3-2, 4.57 ERA in seven starts, 43.1 IP, 55 H, 22 ERs, 27 Ks, 10 BBs, 6 HRs allowed

Honestly, that line in road games is probably what the Sox had hoped Nova's overall numbers would look like. It's his home numbers that have ruined everything, so his performance against the Royals on Monday was at least a step forward -- even though it came against a last-place team.

Nova pitched five innings, allowing one earned run on six hits. He struck out two, walked nobody and kept the ball in the yard for a change. The rains came in the bottom of the fifth inning, suspending the game until Tuesday and ending Nova's start early.

The Sox won, 2-1, Tuesday afternoon on a single by Yolmer Sanchez in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Nova's next start also will be at home, and again, he'll be pitching against a weaker lineup -- the Cleveland Indians. We'll see if he can get some traction and give the Sox at least one other reasonable starting pitcher besides Lucas Giolito.

White Sox take two out of three from Blue Jays

Lucas Giolito needed more than just a fastball-changeup combination to get through his start Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays, but it worked out well for him. The White Sox right-hander improved to 4-1 with seven innings of one-run ball in the South Siders' 5-1 victory.

With the win, the Sox (18-21) took two out of three from the slumping Blue Jays (16-24) and completed their seven-game road trip with a 4-3 record.

Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, May 10
Blue Jays 4, White Sox 3: One of the most frustrating things about the Sox rebuild is Dylan Covey finding his way back into the rotation. Covey has made 35 starts and appeared in 49 games for the Sox since the beginning of the 2017 season. In that time, he's gone 5-23 with a 6.09 ERA.

I think we know this isn't working. Covey shouldn't be in the rotation, but the Sox have yet to draft, develop or sign anybody good enough to relegate him to the bullpen, or to Triple-A Charlotte.

Covey's 23rd career loss came Friday when he gave up three-run homer to Randal Grichuk in the first inning and a solo home run to Teoscar Hernandez in the second inning. That put the Sox in a 4-1 hole, and they couldn't recover.

Covey went 4.2 innings, allowing four runs on three hits with three strikeouts and five walks. Tim Anderson went 2 for 4 with his seventh home run of the season in the loss.

Saturday, May 11
White Sox 7, Blue Jays 2: I hated the signing of catcher James McCann when it happened, and I'm not sure his red-hot start to the season is real. But, kudos to him for shutting me up so far.

McCann went 4 for 5 with two doubles, two runs scored an RBI to power the Sox's 11-hit attack in this victory. Late-inning offense also was key. The Sox led 2-0 after six innings, but they blew the game open with two runs in the seventh inning, two in the eighth and one in the ninth.

Yolmer Sanchez homered, Charlie Tilson had two hits, and the Sox were productive despite an 0-for-5 day from Jose Abreu.

Ivan Nova (2-3) won his second start on the road trip, working six-plus innings. He allowed only one run on a solo home run by Grichuk, and limited Toronto to five hits.

Let's also give props to recently recalled right-handed reliever Evan Marshall, who needed only six pitches to get three outs in the seventh inning. The Sox could use some more competence from low- and medium-leverage guys in the bullpen.

Sunday, May 12
White Sox 5, Blue Jays 1: Giolito was shaky early. The Blue Jays got a run on three hits in the first inning, and they got a leadoff single in the second inning. But after that, Giolito allowed absolutely nothing.

He worked seven innings with eight strikeouts and one walk. In his previous outing, a win against Cleveland, Giolito used only four breaking balls the whole game. This time, he threw 22 sliders and nine curves, as the early struggles showed him that he needed to rely on more than just two fastball-changeup. However, he made the adjustment effectively and turned in another outstanding start. Good to see.

There have been other times when we thought or hoped Giolito was turning a corner, so we'll reserve judgment on what this means for the long haul, but give him credit for two A-plus starts on this trip.

The Sox got all the offense they needed in a five-run fourth inning. Yonder Alonso hit his sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot to put the South Siders ahead. Anderson added a three-run homer, his eighth of the season and second of the series, to make it 5-1.

Giolito took over from there. Ryan Burr and Aaron Bummer each worked a scoreless inning of relief, and the Sox had a solid series win against a team that, frankly, they should beat. I'm not impressed with the Blue Jays this season.

White Sox win two out of three at Yankee Stadium

Tim Anderson

The New York Yankees have almost a full team of guys on the injured list: Luis Severino, Didi Gregorius, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks, Gary Sanchez, Miguel Andujar, Dellin Betances, Aaron Hicks, Troy Tulowitzki and Jacoby Ellsbury.

There are a few others, too, but those are names that most people know.

Not that anyone is going to feel sorry for the Yankees. Coming into the weekend, I was thinking it was a good time for the White Sox to play New York, just because of all those injuries.

On the other side, however, I'm sure Yankees fans were thinking this was a good time to play the Sox, who entered this series on a five-game losing streak.

Turns out, it was a good time for the Sox to play the Yankees. They won two out of three games and improved to 5-9 on the season. Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, April 12
White Sox 9, Yankees 6 (7 innings): This rain-shortened game will be remembered because Eloy Jimenez hit his first two home runs in the major leagues. Jimenez's first home run, a two-run blast in the top of the fifth inning, capped a four-run rally and put the Sox ahead to stay at 7-5.

If Jimenez has the career that Sox fans hope he does, Yankees reliever Jonathan Holder becomes the answer to a trivia question -- he gave up the first home run in Jimenez's career.

Yonder Alonso also homered as part of that fifth inning, and Jimenez and James McCann hit back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning off Chad Green to cap the scoring. The rain came before the Yankees had a chance to bat in the bottom of the inning, and when the game was called, most Sox fans probably breathed a sigh of relief knowing the bullpen wouldn't be asked to protect a three-run lead.

Lucas Giolito (2-1) gave up four runs in the first two innings to put the Sox in an early hole, but he hung around long enough for the offense to rally and give him a win. Giolito gave up six runs, four earned, on six hits. He struck out six and walked four.

Saturday, April 13
Yankees 4, White Sox 0: CC Sabathia is retiring after this season, and not a moment too soon for Sox fans. He's 19-7 in his career against the South Siders, and although he did not get the win on this day, Sox batters had no answer for him.

Sabathia worked five innings and allowed only one hit -- a single by Jose Rondon -- and combined on a one-hitter with three Yankees relievers.

Ivan Nova (0-2) got stuck with a loss because second baseman Yolmer Sanchez didn't catch a routine grounder. Nova held the Yankees off the board through six innings, before giving up a leadoff single to Gleybor Torres in the bottom of the seventh.

Jace Fry relieved Nova and got the ground ball the Sox needed off the bat of Greg Bird. It should have been a double play, but Sanchez kicked it, and the Sox got no outs. Instead of two out, nobody on, the Yankees had first and second with nobody out.

I always say, when the opposition hits you a double-play ball and you make an error and get no outs, that's going to lead to a crooked number against. Sure enough, the Yankees went on to score three runs in that seventh inning. Ballgame.

Sunday, April 14
White Sox 5, Yankees 2: I heard most of this game on the radio, because I had to take my better half to Midway Airport in the middle of a freak April snowstorm. Thank goodness the Sox were on the road this weekend, right? And they secured a series win behind a grand slam from Tim Anderson and a quality start from Carlos Rodon.

Rodon scuffled early, giving up single runs in both the first and third innings. Both runners that came around to score reached on walks, but the left-hander recovered to give up nothing through the middle innings. In fact, the Yankees had only one hit after the third inning in this game.

The final line for Rodon (2-2): 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 Ks, 2 BBs.

The Sox got to Masahiro Tanaka (1-1) the second time through the batting order. Jose Abreu doubled with one out in the fourth inning. Alonso and Jimenez walked, and that set the table for Anderson, who lined an 0-1 pitch over the wall in right-center field for a grand slam and 4-2 Sox lead.

Abreu's sacrifice fly in the fifth inning added a run, and the pitching did the rest. Fry, Nate Jones, Kelvin Herrera and Alex Colome combined for three innings of scoreless relief. Colome worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his third save in as many chances.

The Sox now come back to snowy Chicago for a brief three-game homestand. A series against the Kansas City Royals is set to begin Monday night.