Ahead of their three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn met with the media. Whenever that happens, people wonder what it is about but it is more regular for Rick Hahn to do this than other GMs in the league.
He literally just gave a bunch of updates on things that were going on with the team as they come home 31-33. They went 4-2 on the road but lost the series to the Houston Astros 2-1. Each squad had a blowout win and then the rubber match was last by one run.
With some of these updates from Rick Hahn, there is optimism that the positive vibes can return like they did after they swept the Detroit Tiger or after they beat the Houston Astros on Saturday by a score of 7-0.
Rick Hahn gave lots of Chicago White Sox updates to the media on Monday.
The most notable thing, before getting into player updates, that Hahn said was his evaluation of the team as a whole. He is aware that the road trip was an overall positive one but he made a note about them not being the team that they want to be yet.
He also made it clear that he and the front office know the trade deadline needs. That is good to know if you are a White Sox fan because a few good moves and this team can move in the right direction.
Rick Hahn, after discussing winning road trip, repeated reality that Sox are not where they want to be, record-wise. He said front office has good sense of trade-deadline needs, obviously didn’t get into them. Mentioned to-be-seen impact of return to health, how others step up.
— Vinnie Duber (@VinnieDuber) June 20, 2022
Hahn also announced what we already knew about Tim Anderson coming back into the lineup on Monday. That is amazing for the White Sox as he is the face of the franchise and their best player. If they want to make a run, he needs to be there and on top of his game.
The corresponding move was waiting (at the time) until batting practice was over. They were evaluating some people to see who it is going to be going to either the IL or AAA. if it is the IL, Yoan Moncada is the guy.
He has a hamstring issue that he is dealing with and they are seeing if he will need that IL stint. It doesn’t sound like an issue that is going to linger for too long, regardless of what decision they make with it.
Rick Hahn announces TA’s return from the IL, says that Sox are still evaluating some guys and that corresponding move will wait till after BP.
— Vinnie Duber (@VinnieDuber) June 20, 2022
Yoán Moncada “still feels it a little bit in the hamstring.” Unavailable for now, and he’s one of the guys they’re evaluating.
Hahn provided an update on Eloy Jimenez. He is going to be the designated hitter for the Charlotte Knights of AAA on Tuesday. That will be the first step on his road back. He also said that Jimenez needs to get used to playing on his post-surgery leg.
If Eloy can come back and be the prolific bat that we know him to be, this White Sox team is going to go places. He needs to get some consistency out there in order to become that amazing home run hitter that we know him to be.
Eloy Jiménez will begin “new” rehab stint tomorrow at Charlotte. He’ll DH for the Knights.
— Vinnie Duber (@VinnieDuber) June 20, 2022
Last home stand, Hahn said it’s a matter of Eloy getting used to playing on post-surgery leg, which can still cause him discomfort from time to time.
Hahn also gave a positive update on both Liam Hendriks and Yasmani Grandal. Hendriks is going in the right direction and should be good to go soon enough. We already heard Liam Hendriks name July 1st as his target return date.
It sounds like that goal can be accomplished. When talking about Liam, Hahn also threw in that Kopech will need no further procedures following the knee scare.
As for Grandal, he is doing well. Hahn wanted everyone to know that it was a back issue and not a leg issue which is really interesting. He is said to get baseball activities going again in the next couple of days. That is great news as he was just getting hot.
Hahn says Liam Hendriks is trending in the right direction with his forearm, and there is nothing long-term with Michael Kopech's knee that will need any further procedures.
— Slavko Bekovic (@SBekovic) June 20, 2022
Hahn says Grandal is "doing well" and made sure to confirm this is a back issue and not a leg issue. He was getting treatment here in Chicago. Will ramp up baseball activity in next couple days.
— Slavko Bekovic (@SBekovic) June 20, 2022
It was great to hear Rick Hahn say that Danny Mendick is going to slide over to second base and see plenty of time there. That is something that will make the White Sox a better team as he has earned this opportunity.
He was, unfortunately, sure to note that Josh Harrison has been heating up lately. He has but we all know he hurts this team more than he helps it. He also noted that Leury Garcia is feeling much better and should be available for the Blue Jays series. We aren’t done with these guys yet.
It is not good to hear that Aaron Bummer has a late issue that is a bit slower recovery. They have to, according to Hahn, wait for it to go away until he can start throwing again. Bummer is a really good reliever and they need him back as soon as possible.
Danny Mendick should slide over to second base and see plenty of opportunities there, said Hahn. But he also noted that Josh Harrison (.323/.371/.419 in June) is hitting well of recent. Hahn said Leury García is best utilized all over the diamond
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) June 20, 2022
The best news is that there is no bad news that came out of this. The White Sox are a very talented team and they need all of their players at their disposal if they are going to win a lot of games down the stretch. Hopefully, the home stand is one full of lots of great wins.