Chicago White Sox: Four players who could use roster expansion

The Chicago White Sox could be suiting up sometime in 2020 but there are a few players who could use an expanded roster to their advantage.

The Chicago White Sox need baseball back. They have so much excitement surrounding them and their future and for good reason. They have great players that make up their core like Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, Jose Abreu, and Eloy Jimenez. There are some great prospects on the way along with some big-time free agent signings. Once baseball gets back, they might be able to recapture that same excitement before the delay.

Well, baseball will eventually come back and it may be sooner than later. When it does, there might be some different rules than long time fans are used to. There might be electronic strike zones so the umpires don’t have to hover over catchers, they might not use dugouts so players can keep their distance, and the players might have to quarantine from their families during the shortened season.

Those are all crazy rules that might go into effect if baseball comes back in May. Another thing that May baseball would bring is expanded rosters. Every team is going to need extra players to help them out in circumstances like this. The White Sox would benefit from this whether or not it was a normal season. The fact that this year was going to have 26 on the roster instead of 25 was already awesome but if they expand beyond that, the White Sox would really benefit.

There are a bunch of players that the White Sox would have as candidates for those extra spots but there are some obvious choices. These are the four players who could benefit the most from the team having an expanded roster when baseball returns:

Not many players were more exciting during Spring Training than Yermin Mercedes. He was taking the White Sox news world by storm by being awesome in every game he played in. He had a clutch hit after clutch hit and hit a couple of sweet home runs. He made it look like he may even have a chance to make the big club on Opening Day if it happened on a normal schedule.

Now that there might be expanded rosters for a May start, there might be a chance that Yermin Mercedes benefits from it. He would be a great addition to this exciting White Sox team so they can see what he can do in games that count. He was brilliant in Spring Training so that he can have a chance at playing in the big leagues.

Honestly, it would be a cool story for Mercedes to come in and make an impact. All of the hype surrounds the young prospects and core players but Mercedes could be a major part of it. It is a win-win for the White Sox to have him in 2020 because they will still be good if he doesn’t work out and if he does work out they will be even better. They might as well use this opportunity to see what they have in him.

If Yermin Mercedes did make the team, it would have been because of his bat. He almost certainly wouldn’t have had much playing time behind the plate. That is also why Zack Collins might have not been with the big club to start the year. He was up and down in 2019 but with the addition of Yasmani Grandal, he and James McCann are likely going to form the catcher duo.

McCann and Grandal are probably going to form one of the better catching duos in the league so Collins is probably on the outside looking in. McCann might not be there longer than this season so Collins still has a bright future with the organization but in a normal year, he might not have made the team right away.

Collins could, however, make this team if baseball gets underway in May. The rosters being expanded probably means that the best extra players in the organization will make the team. Collins is for sure one of those guys for the White Sox. It would also be an opportunity for the team to see him develop at the MLB level some more as well. This could be a big chance for him to take advantage.

Michael Kopech is one of the most exciting players in the organization. He has also been one of the unluckiest players in recent memory. He came over with Yoan Moncada in the blockbuster deal that sent Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox. He was known as the 100 mph fireballer that is going to be a stud starter for this team one day.

He made his MLB debut in 2018 but Tommy John shut him down for the rest of that season and all of 2019. It was a long road back but 2020 was the year that he was going to join this team full time. It was a possibility that his season started in AAA to get back in the swing of things but he would have been up in short order. Now, we really don’t know how the team will handle him.

He could benefit from the expanded rosters. There also might be some doubleheaders in there which would mean that the White Sox need more starters. Kopech probably would have been the ace of Charlotte’s staff until he came to the White Sox so if the expanded rosters would help any starter, it would be Kopech. That is also good for him because he can get back to the MLB which should help him big time.

Obviously, the health and safety of players, coaches, fans, and everybody involved is the most important thing. If baseball is able to return in a safe matter, the White Sox would be in a good spot. These four players would be the biggest potential beneficiaries of expanded rosters in a May return so we can only hope.