White Sox: Is It Time to Find a Replacement for Cody Asche?
By Joe Binder
Former Phillies prospect was brought in as a low risk, high reward player. After a horrendous start, is it finally time for the White Sox to find a replacement for Cody Asche?
This past offseason, the Chicago White Sox signed Cody Asche to a minor league deal. The organization’s main hope was that he could provide not only depth, but a left-handed bat in the lineup. However, the struggling 26-year old may not last much longer as he has failed to contribute offensively.
Sox manager Rick Renteria has frequently used Asche against right-handed pitching, often in the designated hitter spot or as a pinch hitter. With six hits in 57 at bats, Asche owns an abysmal .105 batting average. Now, combine these numbers with an extremely high strikeout rate and low on base percentage at .177. Unfortunately for Ache, this is not a recipe for success at the Major League level.
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Luckily for the White Sox, options do exist for potential replacements. Lately, Renteria has been turning to Matt Davidson more frequently to take over the DH duties. Other players have also taken turns, leading us to believe a platoon role at the DH will likely continue for the time being.
One problem that still exists for this Chicago team is the lack of true left-handed bats on the roster. If you disregard the switch hitting Yolmer Sanchez, Melky Cabrera, and Leury Garcia; the only other left-handed hitter is catcher Omar Narvaez. This could be an issue for Renteria since he is missing an experienced lefty bat who he can turn to when needed.
At Triple-A Charlotte, there are a couple of left-handed hitting prospects who could provide the White Sox with some options. One of those players is third baseman Nicky Delmonico. The prospect is off to a solid start offensively as he’s hitting .279. Delmonico might find his way onto the major league roster if he continues to improve several aspects of his game. The other, more obvious answer is the top prospect in the minors, Yoan Moncada. When called-up, the switch hitting second baseman will be sure to provide a spark in the lineup.
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As Rick Hahn has made clear many times already this season, the White Sox will not rush their young players to Chicago. Until the prospects arrive, the White Sox will have to make do with who they have. If Asche continues to show little promise for the future, Sox fans should expect to see him go fairly soon. Especially with Moncada on the way, the White Sox will eventually need to make room on their roster and all signs point to a release of Asche.