Chicago White Sox: 3 players to cut when Adam Engel returns
The Chicago White Sox outfield has been decimated by injuries this season. Eloy Jimenez went down in spring training and is expected to be out until September. Then Luis Robert suffered a torn hip flexor which will knock him out three to four months.
The Chicago White Sox are going to be a better team when Adam Engel returns.
The White Sox outfield is about to get a major boost. It was announced this week that reinforcements are on the horizon in the form of Adam Engel. Engel, who has been on the shelf since spring training, will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte Tuesday.
Adam Engel provides the Chicago White Sox with elite defense in centerfield. His high-flying acrobatics in the outfield has robbed numerous opponents of home runs. In 2018 alone, he robbed three home runs in the span of five days, saving pitchers a combined seven runs. In 2018 he was named MLB Defensive Player of the Month for August by Sports Info Solutions and was a runner-up for the Gold Glove Award.
The White Sox will also be getting a major upgrade in the lineup. Engel has improved each season offensively. Last year he hit .348 at home and .435 against right-handed pitching. In the postseason, he went 3-12 with a double, one homer, one RBI, and a run scored in three games of the AL Wild Card Series at Oakland.
Engel’s eventual arrival means someone on the current roster will need to be sent down to make room for him. To this point, Tony La Russa has utilized an outfield by committee approach. Andrew Vaughn has seen the majority of the playing time in leftfield. Leury Garcia has seen the majority of the time in centerfield. Outside of them, someone is more than likely going to be let go for Engel. These are the three options:
player. 128. . INF. Chicago White Sox. Danny Mendick . 20
Danny Mendick is someone to cut when Adam Engel comes back to the Chicago White Sox.
Danny Mendick has been a good foot soldier for the Chicago White Sox. Everything they have asked him to do he has done. He has even stepped up to play right field, despite never playing there before. Unfortunately, for Mendick he may be the odd man out when Adam Engel returns.
Medick is hitting .225 on the year with two home runs and 10 RBIs. He hit a huge grand slam against the Minnesota Twins earlier in the month.
With Andrew Vaughn, Luery Garcia, and Adam Eaton they will no longer need his services in the outfield. While Mendick can play three different infield positions, the White Sox already have Nick Madrigal, Tim Anderson, and Yoan Moncada who have them all on lock. The White Sox already have Leury Garcia who serves as a utility player for them and he can switch hit, which Mendick cannot.
Mendick was optioned to the Chicago White Sox alternate training site on March 30th. After being recalled a few days later he was optioned once again on April 25th. Seeing that Mendick has already been optioned twice this season, he seems the most likely candidate to get the ax once Engel returns. It may not be the last time we see Mendick this year. Given his versatility, he would be the first in line to get called back up if someone else is injured.
player. 128. . INF/OF. Chicago White Sox. Jake Lamb. 23
It is now time for the Chicago White Sox to consider letting go of Jake Lamb.
The White Sox signed Jake Lamb to the roster with the hopes of catching lightning in the bottle for a bargain price. Lamb was an All-Star in 2017 but since then he has struggled to stay on the field. He has yet to play over 80 games in a season since his All-Star appearance. This season Lamb has played sparingly. His name in the lineup is usually met with outcry across White Sox Twitter.
Lamb is hitting .194 with two home runs and two RBIs in 36 at-bats this season. Unlike Mendick, he is a below-average defender. His natural position is third-base but the White Sox have converted him into a left fielder. He has played seven games in left, one in right, and a pair at first and third.
He has been productive in his last three games. He homered against Minnesota, then followed that but with a hit and run scored the following day. Against New York, he also had a hit. He is also a left-handed bat which gives him a little extra value.
However, the fact that he has played very little, mixed with his lack of defense makes him a prime candidate to get cut. He does not provide the versatility of Leury Garcia and Danny Mendick. One could argue with more consistent playing time that Lamb could be more effective. He has shown flashes of power but has struggled to get into a rhythm.
It seems unlikely they will give him Vaughn’s spot in leftfield considering he is the future of the franchise. They are also paying Adam Eaton too much money for Lamb to supplant him in right. At 30 years of age, Lamb has no future with the team so it would make sense if the White Sox cut ties with him.
Billy Hamilton. 00. player. 128. . OF. Chicago White Sox
Adam Engel might be taking Billy Hamilton’s Chicago White Sox spot in the outfield.
Out of the three options, this is the least likely. Billy Hamilton can be a very useful weapon off the bench for a championship team. He has elite speed and can serve as a pinch-runner late in games. He is perfect 4-for-4 on stolen bases this season. With him on first base, he can turn a walk into a double and quickly manufacture a run. Tony La Russa also loves using him as a defensive replacement late in games.
It’s no secret that Andrew Vaughn is inexperienced in leftfield. Hamilton provides the White Sox with a tremendous range in the outfield. Mix him with Engel and Eaton, and you have good centerfielders roaming the outfield. It makes it very difficult for a hitter to find a spot to place a hit. Hamilton also has good arm strength. He made a game-saving throw against the Texas Rangers from leftfield earlier in the season.
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The reason he is on the list is because of his sub-par offensive production. He is hitting just .205 with only five RBIs and a .552 OPS. Mendick and Lamb each have a higher offensive ceiling at the plate. In Hamilton’s last 13 at-bats he has just two hits. He also does not play any infiled. Lamb, Mendick, and Garcia can all play outfield and infield. For these reasons, there is a chance that Hamilton is the odd man out. That being said, with all the value he provides in other aspects of the game, it seems unlikely.