The Chicago White Sox snapped their eight-game losing streak on Thursday night after a hard-fought battle against the Minnesota Twins.
Yoan Moncada was missing from the lineup after fouling a ball off his foot the night before and with only six games left in the season, questions arose regarding whether or not he would play again.
With the White Sox shutting down guys like Tim Anderson and Luis Robert, many assumed that would be the case for Moncada as well after suffering yet another injury in a 2022 season that was very forgettable for him.
The White Sox should not shut down Yoan Moncada this season, although he has some soreness and bruising in his foot. Shutting down another one of their core players shows the fan base and other teams that the team has given up.
If that’s the case, guys like Dylan Cease, Jose Abreu, Yasmani Grandal, and Eloy Jimenez should be shut down as well since the team has been eliminated from postseason contention.
Moncada should play the season out and end this season on as much of a high note as possible while heading into the 2022 offseason with some confidence.
With how much discomfort Yoán Moncada seemed to be in after fouling a ball off his foot the other night, there were guesses he might not play again in 2022. But Miguel Cairo said X-rays were negative and that he expects Moncada to get back out there before season's end.
— Vinnie Duber (@VinnieDuber) September 29, 2022
The Chicago White Sox didn’t have a lot of success with Yoan Moncada in 2022.
Moncada has struggled in 2022 and many folks are out on the 27-year-old third baseman. 2022 has been the worst season of Yoan Moncada’s career and after a season like this, it can only get better.
The third baseman put up a slash line of .212/.278/.358 with an OPS of .635. All four of those statistics are career worst.
Although it seems that Moncada returning to his 2019 form is highly unlikely, if he can return to his 2021 form where he put together a slash line of .263/.375/.412 with an OPS of .787, that is something the Chicago White Sox organization and their fans can get behind.
It’s also important to remember that health was not on Moncada’s side this year as injuries have limited him to 98 games this season.
For those pushing for the organization to trade the 27-year-old, it’s going to be hard to get something of value after a career-worst year.
With the possibility of a new coaching staff coming into the organization heading into the 2023 season, there is a chance that Moncada and others on this team can be revitalized and rejuvenated and at least return to their career norms.