Austin Hays' return to White Sox forces Will Venable to make tough lineup decisions

After a strong road trip for the White Sox offense, this past weekend’s series against the Washington Nationals was a step back at the plate. The White Sox managed to plate five runs on Friday in their only win of the weekend, but struggled to get anything going against Nationals pitching both Saturday and Sunday. Heading into a new week, the White Sox will add some reinforcements to the lineup, welcoming veteran outfielder Austin Hays back from the injured list. 

In a corresponding move, the White Sox have placed IF/OF Tanner Murray on the injured list with a dislocated shoulder. Murray left the game in the 10th inning Sunday after making a diving catch in left field. Will Venable wouldn’t confirm a diagnosis after the game, but confirmed Murray was “in a lot of pain”. 

Hays, 30, signed a one-year deal with the White Sox this offseason in hopes of stabilizing a very young outfield group. He didn’t get off to his best start at the plate, hitting just .219 with one home run in nine games, but he’d recorded hits in each of his final four games before the hamstring injury landed him on the IL. Hays began a rehab assignment in Charlotte on Saturday, where he homered in his first game. 

Austin Hays' return to the lineup creates an interesting dilemma

It’ll be interesting to see how the White Sox distribute at bats with Hays now healthy. Will Venable has heavily favored platoon matchups in his early managerial decisions, and the White Sox have more options they’d like to get at bats than they did before. Veterans Hays and Benintendi may each see time at DH while Sam Antonacci and Everson Pereira continue to see the priority reps in the corner outfield spots, but center field has been a weak spot offensively for the White Sox, so it’s worth wondering how long Luisangel Acuna and Tristan Peters will continue to see regular at bats there. 

On one hand, the White Sox should prioritize the at bats for young players like Sam Antonacci, Everson Pereira, and even Luisangel Acuna over those of veterans like Hays and Benintendi. But the White Sox are trying to win baseball games and the veteran presence in their lineup may give them a better chance of doing so.

One option, and what I believe should be the primary look, is to slide Everson Pereira over to center field and give Hays the majority of the reps in right. Pereira has made just one appearance in center for the White Sox, but played it regularly as recently as last season. He’s graded strongly enough in the past that it’s worth trying for the White Sox, and it’s the way to get the most productive offensive lineup possible on the field. 

Regardless of defensive alignment, Hays’ return is much-needed for the White Sox, who have hit better in recent days but have been very reliant on Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, and Colson Montgomery to produce on offense. Adding another veteran who can work quality at bats should help take some pressure off the White Sox big bats and hopefully help the offense find a groove. 

Though the White Sox record isn’t great, the team is trending toward its best April mark in several years as they look to take a step forward in 2026.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow