White Sox: Yermin Mercedes being sent down isn’t surprising
On Friday morning, the Chicago White Sox demoted Yermin Mercedes to their AAA affiliate, the Charlotte Knights. Mercedes started the season on a blistering stretch, producing a slash line of .415/.455/.659 through April. Since then, Mercedes has been the complete opposite.
In May, he produced a slash line of .221/.292/.326 striking out 20 times and totaling only 21 hits in 95 at-bats. June was an even tougher time for the White Sox designated hitter. He struggled mightily in June, producing a slash line of .159/.221/.190 totaling 10 hits over 63 at-bats while striking out 14 times. He did not hit a single home run in June and only had two extra-base hits.
We knew that his .400 batting average was not sustainable, especially for a player who had not seen more than one major league at-bat in his career before this season, but the drop-off was significantly drastic. He was in and out of the lineup over the past two months, seeing guys like Jake Lamb taking some at-bats in the DH slot.
The Chicago White Sox has sent Yermin Mercedes down to AAA Charlotte.
It may just be a confidence issue. Mercedes getting sent down to AAA may come as a boost for him. He might just need to get back in the everyday lineup and regain that same confidence he began the season with. Before getting sent down, Mercedes’ overall slash line this season was .271/.328/.404.
Mercedes brought energy, personality, and a smile to the White Sox clubhouse but with key players either injured or not producing as they usually do, something needed to change. As Mercedes was being utilized primarily as a DH, there are other players both on the major league level and in the minors that can fill that role while also being utilized on the field.
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Although Mercedes was a fan favorite for some time, the White Sox needed to demote the young hitter to regain confidence and get back to the hitter he was to start the season. Whether he rejoins the team later in the season is still unknown but at least we got to experience the excitement that the Yerminator brought to the White Sox organization and its fans in April.