Before the season started and as it has gone on, injuries have hit the Chicago White Sox very hard. Every single one of the injuries has had a direct impact on how the White Sox have performed this season and might be a contributing factor to their slow start so far this year.
The two biggest injuries of the season so far have been to starting pitchers Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito. Lynn had surgery on his knee and is expected back sometime in mid-May.
Giolito had an abdominal strain suffered in the first game of the season and has been out ever since. It’s expected that he will start on Sunday against the Minnesota Twins.
Without their two ace starters, the White Sox have struggled at times in the pitching department. We have seen blowups by pitchers (Dallas Keuchel had a big one) and struggles to keep runners off base thanks to walks.
These are the kinds of things that you don’t see out of guys like Giolito and Lynn so the sooner they get back the better.
The Chicago White Sox have been missing key players so far this season.
One guy that has missed a considerable amount of time to begin the year is Yoan Moncada. Moncada strained an oblique as spring training was coming to an end and he’s been out ever since.
With the original time frame given, it was thought he would be back next week. Now, Moncada was not hitting that well in spring training so maybe there was something with his injury that was causing him issues. Hopefully, he is healed up and ready to go soon.
There have been some short-term injuries that have affected the Sox as well. For example, second baseman Josh Harrison has missed a little time with a couple of ailments, including a shoulder injury that he suffered making a spectacular catch in a game against the Guardians.
It’s not known how much time he will miss because of the shoulder injury but the team will miss his bat in the lineup.
Another player that has suffered some injury issues, this time with an ankle injury, is Eloy Jimenez. Jimenez hit a foul ball off of this ankle a few games ago and it’s caused some swelling ever since.
He missed a little time in the Cleveland series but appears to be back and ready to go at least as a designated hitter. Hopefully, he’s able to get healed up quickly and can say in the lineup consistently.
Newly acquired right fielder A.J. Pollock has missed some time both because of paternity leave and a strained hamstring. Right now, it looks like he could return here very soon. The Sox would love to have him back in the mix. His bat is desperately needed in a lineup right now.
Finally, a brand-new injury has taken place and has the lineup shaken up a bit. Center fielder Luis Robert exited this Thursday’s contest against the Cleveland Guardians with a strained groin and may be out for a period of time.
This really hurts the team because their outfield depth isn’t that strong with Pollock out and Jimenez ailing. Hopefully, Robert’s return is a quick one.
You can see that injuries have taken their toll on the Sox. Getting some of these players back will go a long way towards getting them into the win column more often. Injuries aren’t the only reason this team has struggled as of late.
Other factors are causing them to struggle but the injury bug may be the biggest factor causing their problems.