Chicago White Sox: Three injury replacements for Adam Engel
The Chicago White Sox depth chart took a big hit this weekend. During the eighth inning of Saturday’s Cactus League exhibition against the Cleveland Indians, Bradley Zimmer hit a sac fly to center field. Adam Engel, who entered the game as a defensive replacement for Eloy Jimenez the inning earlier, came charging in after the ball.
He tracked it down and like usual recorded the out. He then fired the ball home before falling to the ground awkwardly. He remained on the ground for a few anxious moments as White Sox fans collectively held their breath. Finally, he was able to limp off the field but the damage had been done. His right hamstring will keep him out of the lineup for a few weeks, including Opening Day.
The Chicago White Sox are going to miss having Adam Engel for a few weeks.
This is a crushing blow for the White Sox who will miss Engel roaming the outfield. He will especially be missed in late innings. Not only is Engel a premier defender, but he was also starting to heat up at the plate. He showed improvement in 2020 hitting .295 and even contributed in the postseason with a home run during the AL Wildcard Series.
He carried it over into Cactus League action. During games last Thursday and Friday, Engel had five combined extra-base hits. He came a single short of the cycle Thursday and homered in both games. Tony La Russa weighed in on the status of his fourth outfielder after the game.
“Well, he made an absolutely great play on a short fly ball, he got a great jump, went all out for it and caught it. One of the things that caused the hamstring, the strain, was he made kind of an acrobatic move as he caught it to make the throw to the plate. So they are examining it now. He’s in great shape. He’s a fast healer.”
While the White Sox wait for him to heal, they will need to find a replacement for Engel. Suddenly the last few spring training games have become even more meaningful for the outfielders in camp.
Leury Garcia would make a good option for the Chicago White Sox fourth outfield.
The longest-tenured member of the White Sox would be the favorite to take over Adam Engel’s role. Leury Garcia has been with the team since 2013 and has quietly developed into a very solid major league player. In the past four seasons, he has hit .270 or higher.
Garcia has been able to stick around the organization because of his versatility. He is a switch hitter than can play every position in the outfield along with three positions in the infield. If that isn’t enough he is also fast which makes him the ultimate utility player.
His strong arm and masterful bunting skills are an added bonus. Garcia has been the White Sox leadoff man for the past couple of seasons but an upgrade in talent around him has pushed him into a role off the bench. It is a role that better suits him on a championship team.
Garcia was going to be on the Opening Day roster even before Engel went down with an injury. Now he may be responsible to clean up Eloy Jimenez’s mess in left field in the eighth and ninth innings of close ballgames. Garcia primarily plays centerfield but he still has a respectable .967 fielding percentage for his career in left field.
Tony La Russa has been impressed with Garcia during camp. He made a point to mention that he has placed Garcia with the everyday players because Garcia just happens to play a different position every day. If Engel only misses a couple of games Garcia would be an adequate replacement.
Billy Hamilton could use this as motivation to make the Chicago White Sox roster.
Rick Hahn has made a point to add speed to the roster the past two seasons. Midway through the 2020 season, he acquired Jarrod Dyson who acted as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement. Hahn replaced Dyson by adding Billy Hamilton.
Hamilton is considered one of the fastest players in the MLB. He has accumulated 305 stolen bases. Hamilton’s speed can be used to manufacture runs. It can also be put to good use in the outfield. He has made some highlight-reel plays on balls that most outfielders have no business getting to.
The White Sox saw the damage Billy Hamilton could do last year up close in a 10-8 loss to the Cubs. In that game, Hamilton swiped two bases including home. The White Sox added him as a luxury depth piece. He was a fridge player to make the roster given that the White Sox were already using Adam Engel as their fourth outfielder and Leury Garcia as their utility player.
Now the door has opened for Hamilton to expand his role with the team. He is going to get a look and he needs to make the most of it. Tony La Russa made it clear that he expects Hamilton to do it all on the baseball field.
“In Billy’s case, he’s been a player, not just a baserunner,” La Russa said. “He’s an outfielder, had some good hitting years. There’s no doubt there will be some games where if you can manufacture a run, it’s the difference, and Billy’s made a career of that.”
Hamilton’s offensive numbers leave a lot to be desired. However, he would be a serviceable plug-and-play option for the first couple of games. When Engel returns it is easy to see him carving out a role on the White Sox bench and be a valuable weapon for them.
Nick Williams could be the guy if the Chicago White Sox go a different route.
If the White Sox wanted to go in a different direction they could take the surprise route and use Nick Williams as Adam Engel’s replacement. Tony La Russa mentions Luis Gonzalez as a potential candidate for the job after Engel was injured but that seems unlikely given that he is no longer on the active roster.
That leaves Nick Williams as the final candidate. Williams has been in the league for three seasons. Those three years have been spent with the Philadelphia Phillies. He has a lifetime average of .254 to go along with 31 home runs and a -1.8 WAR. Those numbers are nothing to write home about. He does not have the game-changing speed of Hamilton, nor does he have the versatility of Garcia.
He has performed admirably this spring. In 27 at-bats he is hitting .296 with one home run, one RBI, and a .840 OPS. He is only 27 years old so there is some potential upside although it seems like Willams days as a starter in the Major Leagues are numbered. This is not the 2018 White Sox so Williams has little to no chance of starting a game for them this season unless something goes horribly wrong.
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It seems unlikely that the White Sox would opt to go this route but Williams has seen his fair share of playing time this spring so anything is possible.