Chicago White Sox: 3 players who could use the break to their advantage
The Chicago White Sox are going to be suspended along with the rest of the MLB and these three players might benefit from the extra time.
The Chicago White Sox are on pause along with the rest of the MLB. We don’t know when they will be back but we do know it won’t be until mid-May at the earliest. That is less than ideal news as we are starving for a winner on the south side. It has been a long time since the White Sox had a legitimate chance at the playoffs. Now, their roster finally looks like one that can compete but the season is on pause.
With that, the players can still take advantage of their current breaks. Things might get worse before they get better but every player is in the same boat. No team has an advantage over another as things develop right now but the White Sox could make sure that they are ready for whenever the break is over. They have plenty of guys who can take the proper procedures to make sure they are ready. This is an issue that goes beyond baseball, but they can be ready for baseball when it does come back.
No team is void of injuries at any given time but there are a few players on the White Sox who could use the break more than others. There are always players who would benefit from time off and this White Sox team is no different. They, as a team, might benefit from this break in the long run as they hope that the postseason is in their future. These are the three players that will benefit from the MLB’s pause whenever it is that they do resume:
The Chicago White Sox are heavily dependent on Lucas Giolito. They believe that he is their ace for the long term and they rightfully should. There are other pitchers who have the potential to be just as good if not better but for now, that guys is Giolito. He was sensational in 2019 after 2018 where he struggled mightily. He is hoping that 2020 mirrors 2019 in terms of being a dominant pitcher for this team. If he does that, they will certainly have that much better of a chance at the playoffs.
He came into Spring Training with a bit of an injury that caused people to say that he was “about a week behind.” That was long before Spring Training was paused and there is no reason to think that he now is behind. He should be fully ready to go by the time the season resumes, whenever that may be. He is a huge part of this organization and it is going to remain that way for a long time.
Hopefully, during the break, Giolito is able to stay healthy from a literal perspective and a baseball perspective. He can take advantage of this time off by making sure that his arm is fully healthy and ready to go for Opening Day. Whenever it is, he is expected to be named the starter.
The Chicago White Sox made it known that Edwin Encarnacion was dealing with a hip injury during Spring Training. There were some questions about whether or not he would be ready for Opening Day before the schedule was all messed up but things are different now. Encarnacion should have plenty of time to recover and be healthy for when they do return.
He is a power-hitting stud, despite being 37 years old. He hits 30 home runs in his sleep over a full season which should be a huge boost to the White Sox lineup that has a lot of stars already. If he is healthy and ready to go, it will be a great thing for that already dangerous lineup. He can take this time off and be ready for whenever that day is.
The White Sox brought Encarnacion in to compliment guys like Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, and Tim Anderson. The fact that he will be hitting around a bunch of players like that should really excite White Sox fans. As long as he is healthy, he will be productive with players like that around him. That is why this break could be good for his little injury issue.
The Chicago White Sox didn’t have Gio Gonzalez make a single start for them in Spring Training. That was because of a left shoulder injury. They were expecting him to make his first start of the Spring but the game was canceled because of rain. That would have been the last game before Spring Training was canceled. Now, Gonzalez has even more time to be ready.
He should be perfectly fine to come back at 100 percent when the season resumes. That all depends on how his shoulder feels but he definitely needs to keep working to get there. He can throw and have simulated games while waiting for the season to come back. It is good to know that he will have extra time because having him as a part of this rotation could prove to be pretty important.
If anything positive is going to come from this horrible time that we are in, it is that the players dealing with small injuries will be able to be 100 percent when the season begins. The White Sox needs all hands on deck in order to be a winning ballclub this year so hopefully, they can turn this negative into a positive.