The White Sox introduced that outfielder Andrew Benintendi has a non-displaced fracture in his proper hand and can miss 4 to 6 weeks. He departed Thursday’s spring coaching recreation after being hit by a pitch.
It’s an unlucky blow for Benintendi and the White Sox. With the spring simply starting, he’ll be shut down and miss the rest of camp. As soon as wholesome, he’ll have to go out on a rehab task and successfully begin his spring coaching over once more.
The Sox weren’t going to compete this yr. They set a modern-day report with 121 losses in 2024. They aren’t prone to be considerably higher in 2025. They signed a number of veterans to fill some roster spots however traded Garrett Crochet to the Pink Sox in trade for prospects.
Nonetheless, Benintendi had an opportunity to play himself into being a commerce candidate, one thing that MLBTR looked at simply yesterday. With three years and $15.83M left on his deal and the Sox deep in a rebuild, they might absolutely love to maneuver him. Any improved efficiency would have helped them do this whereas permitting Benintendi to play for a contender, a win-win for each side.
Since signing with the Sox forward of the 2023 season, Benintendi has hit simply .246/.309/.374 for a wRC+ of 90 with poor defensive metrics as well. However his 2024 season completed on a powerful notice. He had a stint on the injured in June as a consequence of left achilles tendinitis. He had hit simply .195/.230/.284 earlier than that IL stint however then slashed .251/.326/.470 the remainder of the best way. That latter line translated to a 124 wRC+, indicating he was 24% above league common on the plate.
That led to some hope that he may return to type in 2025 since he had hit .279/.351/.431 for a 109 wRC+ earlier than becoming a member of the White Sox. If Benintendi has a bounceback in him, it should keep on ice till he will get over this damage.
The Sox will now have some early-season enjoying time to reallocate. Luis Robert Jr., one other commerce candidate that the Sox hope to see construct worth, would be the on a regular basis man in middle. Mike Tauchman and Austin Slater may maybe type a platoon in a single nook. Michael A. Taylor is on the roster, seemingly seen as a fourth outfielder/defensive alternative/pinch runner kind.
Oscar Colás and Dominic Fletcher are on the 40-man roster. Every nonetheless has an possibility remaining and appeared ticketed for time in Triple-A however maybe this opens some huge league time for one in every of them. Joey Gallo can be in camp as a non-roster invitee, so this might result in his contract being chosen. Different NRIs with some big-league expertise embody Corey Julks and Calvin Mitchell. If the Sox resolve they wish to herald some extra depth, gamers like Alex Verdugo, David Peralta and Robbie Grossman stay unsigned.
