The 2022 Chicago White Sox were supposed to be a team that had power on offense, great pitching, and a smart manager that made great decisions.
Well, the season hasn’t turned out quite the way that anyone wanted it to so far. The team is underperforming and a few players aren’t living up to the team’s expectations.
One of those players that aren’t living up to their expectations is third baseman, Yoan Moncada. He has been nowhere near where the White Sox would like him to be in terms of production and it’s hurting the team.
It is bad for them because they have to use a roster spot on someone that isn’t performing well while there are some players in the Minors that might be playing better than Moncada is right now.
The numbers do not lie. After a very bad weekend against the Texas Rangers, Moncada is slashing .132/.177/.209. This is coming in 25 games with 91 at-bats. That’s not the kind of production that you want to see out of a starter. His .386 OPS is as bad as it gets.
The Chicago White Sox needs Yoan Moncada to be significantly better.
Now let’s give Moncada the benefit of the doubt for at least a couple of reasons. One is that he missed the start of the season with a strained oblique and that can give a hitter problems.
He’s been rested seemingly constantly since coming back to the team showing that there is likely something wrong with him. Maybe the White Sox are waiting for him to snap out of whatever physical or mental block he has hoping good things will spring forth when he’s ready.
Well, the White Sox don’t have time to wait. Their time is now and they must start winning. Having Moncada on the roster is hurting their chances of winning.
I am a big fan of Moncada and have always liked him. But I can’t sit by and condone what the White Sox are doing with him. He must be getting less playing time until they find a way to get him going in the right direction.
Manager Tony La Russa and General Manager Rick Hahn know what they have to do. They need to stop the bleeding and put more than just a band-aid on the wound that is Moncada.
They might need to get him right by sending him down to the Minors for a while and allow him to get over this massive slump that he is in. It would be better if he did it down in the Minor Leagues than up in the Majors where he is wasting a valuable roster space.
Sending Moncada down to the Minors is something that must be done. The White Sox cannot afford to have him in the lineup playing like he is. He’s a liability and could even be costing them wins. He has two MiLB options left.