Brandon Drury likely would have made the Chicago White Sox's Opening Day roster had he not fractured his thumb.
The thumb injury came at a terrible time, as it happened right after Drury forced the White Sox to let him know whether he was going to be on the big-league roster or not.
He had that right based on the minor-league deal he signed, which his camp could request if he is going to make the roster, otherwise, he would need to be released so he could pursue other opportunities.
His strong spring was likely trending toward him getting added to the 40-man roster. However, he suffered that thumb injury right after making the request. The injury was going to cause him to be shut down from baseball activities for a few weeks. Since his status request could not be undone, the decision was made to release him.
The hope was that once he started to heal up and resume baseball work, he would return to the club. However, there was the risk that a contender might offer him a spot based on the former Silver Slugger winner showing he is ready for a bounce-back season after a terrible 2024 season.
The risk is no longer there as Drury agreed to another minor-league deal, but maybe it would have been better had he gone elsewhere.
The team announced he will head to Arizona to ramp back up in extended spring training.
The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms with INF Brandon Drury on a minor-league deal and assigned him to extended Spring Training in Arizona.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 8, 2025
However, the Sox might not need him anymore.
At least to play the infield.
They could use his power in the lineup, as right now, if the Sox do not get the long ball, they are not going to score many runs. Adding more power can never be a bad thing.
The problem is where to put him on the field to get at-bats.
In spring training, it was looking like he could split time with Josh Rojas or Lenyn Sosa at second.
However, with No. 8 prospect Chase Meidroth crushing the ball at Triple-A it feels like a matter of time before he takes over second every day. He could also play short, but he is a much stronger defender at second.
Youngster Brooks Baldwin is also off to a solid start, and the team does not want to keep his bat out of the lineup. Hypothetically, if they call up Meidroth, Baldwin would be the better defensive option at short.
Rojas is on the 10-day IL with a toe injury, but he could make it back to the big leagues in time before Drury does.
Drury could fill the DH role if he can show in extended spring training that he is ready to put that miserable 2024 behind him.
However, DH might also be a spot that gets filled up quickly. The plan is to have Luis Robert Jr. DH every now and again to save his legs. Andrew Benintendi may occupy that role as he deals with a hip injury that is leaving him day-to-day.
Plus, catching prospects Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero are going to need to DH on days they are not catching once they make it to the big-league level.
That is why, at the beginning of the season, it was more ideal to have Drury on the roster to showcase him to the trade market over the first couple of months of the season.
Baldwin was still unknown if he would be a good big-league contributor. Meidroth did not do enough to win an MLB job.
That is why having Drury rotate at second, the outfield, and DH would not be getting in the way of anyone in April and maybe even May.
Now, his being on the big-league roster only makes sense if the team wants a power option at DH.