Chicago White Sox: Signs that Jake Burger could be called up soon

When it was announced that Nick Madrigal was going to miss the season rest of the season, it left the Chicago White Sox with a huge hole at second base. Danny Mendick and Leury Garcia have been asked to step up and fill the void. While Mendick has performed admirably to this point, neither he nor Garcia can replicate the offense production that Madrigal provided. Many have wondered if the White Sox will seek outside help before the trade deadline.

The Chicago White Sox are hoping that Jake Burger can fill a void if needed.

It looks like the White Sox may be looking at options from within. The Charlotte Knights put Jake Burger at second base in their game Thursday night against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. It is an intriguing move considering it was his first start at second base in his career. It could be signaling that the White Sox intend to call him up soon.

Burger has been putting in work during the offseason. He has lost a ton of weight and is quicker on his feet. On the White Sox Talk Podcast a couple of weeks ago, he talked about being able to play multiple infield positions.

“I’m obviously focused on third base, but with the weight I’ve lost I feel like I can play a couple of other infield positions,” Burger told Chuck Garfien. “No matter where they want me to play, I’m willing to work there.”

Burger made no errors and even helped turn a double play. The White Sox, however, aren’t interested in his defense, they are interested in his bat. On Thursday night, he shined in the batter’s box. Burger launched a two-run homer in the third inning, giving him eight dingers on the season.

The 2017 11th overall pick is having a stellar season in Charlotte. He is hitting .264 with 26 RBIs and a .839 OPS. Burger also has 11 doubles on the year.

Burger is going to need some more seasoning at second base before he can be called up. He has proved that he can adapt quickly. His hot start to the season comes after he missed two consecutive seasons due to injuries and then was unable to play in a competitive game in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Usually, a player that has not played in three years would be rusty. For Burger that hasn’t been the case. If he can pick up the nuances of second base quickly then we could see him in Chicago sooner rather than later.