Gavin Sheets has been amazing since coming back to White Sox

It is no secret the 2022 Chicago White Sox are struggling offensively. A lineup once thought to not give one break to the pitcher now has several holes.

A specific role absent from the lineup was a left-handed slugger who drives in runs. When the White Sox needed him most, the lefty slugger Gavin Sheets put up a .587 OPS.

The first 44 games for the 26-year-old were nothing more than a disappointment. Sheets hit a measly four home runs, drove in a mere ten runs, and walked just 11 times while striking out 34 times in his first 137 at-bats this season. His slash of .204/.269/.329 forced a demotion to AAA.

Sheets was clearly struggling with Major League pitching and needed to find his stroke again in the minors. At least that was the plan. On June 23, the White Sox placed Adam Engel on the 15-day IL requiring a replacement.

The Chicago White Sox need this version of Gavin Sheets for the rest of the year.

Sheets only played nine games with just 39 plate appearances in his minor league stint. In the small sample, he showed improvement compared to his Major League slash at that point, batting .270/.308/.541. Unfortunately, this is the White Sox and nothing ever goes how you want it.

You can imagine that the front office would have preferred keeping Sheets at Charlotte just a bit longer to get a better sense of where he is but this team of glass needed help. Fortunately, Sheets has stepped up and been what this team needs since his return.

In a little over two weeks, his bat has resurrected. Since June 23, a 17-game stretch, Sheets is hitting a slash of .340/.407/.604 with an OPS of 1.011. He has five doubles and 12 RBIs to go with three home runs, two of which came in the last two games.

The season’s first three months were tough to watch, especially for Sheets. However, his bat is returning to life at the most critical part of the team’s season.

There is still a lot of work to be done. He still strikes out a ton and doesn’t take as many walks but if his bat begins to drive the ball 400+, it will make a difference.

At the beginning of the season, he was striking out, not walking, and not hitting but it seems that he may have found his stride. Maybe if Sheets continues to get hot, the rest of the offense will too. There may still be a chance in 2022.