The Chicago White Sox roster is not talented by any means, but they do face some compelling roster decisions with a couple of veterans set to come off the 10-day IL soon.
Veteran outfielders Mike Tauchman, Austin Slater, and Andrew Benintendi, along with catcher Korey Lee, are getting close to coming off the injured list.
When you start doing the math, that means that one player vital to the team's long-term plans will have to be sent down to make room on the active roster.
The easiest roster decision to make room on the 26-man roster is designating Joshua Palacios for assignment. He is, for all intents and purposes, Tauchman's understudy. Once the better left-handed bat at the top of the order returns, there is no need for Palacios.
Where it gets interesting is what the Sox do with the remaining three players set to return.
Korey Lee or Matt Thaiss?
Korey Lee could stay down at Triple-A since he has minor-league options. However, the White Sox could see if a contender is willing to jump the market for catching help by shopping Matt Thaiss.
Thaiss would not return an impactful prospect, but he could fetch a prospect with a low-ceiling profile that has a legit shot at getting to the majors. He is coming off of a terrible series against the Cubs, but he is still currently posting a career-high on-base percentage.
Thaiss has also been one of the better blocking catchers in the league this season. His caught stealing metrics, along with his pop time, are respectable.
No matter what, the front office cannot consider sending Edgar Quero back down. There is nothing left for him to prove at Triple-A, as he has shown that the rest of his development must take place at the big league level.
Brooks Baldwin or Tim Elko?
In terms of Austin Slater and Andrew Benintendi returning, it could mean that Brooks Baldwin and Tim Elko have to get demoted.
Now that Jacob Amaya has been DFA'd, the White Sox do not have many clear-cut options to cut. Baldwin and Elko have minor-league options.
Granted, the White Sox could just cut Vinny Capra, the all-glove, no-bat option the team brought in to replace Amaya. But if the Sox keep Elko on the 26-man roster, they'll also need to give him at-bats, which will take away ABs from veteran players that the Sox are hoping to trade before the deadline.
Baldwin is going to lose at-bats once both outfielders return since he has been getting more playing time in the outfield than in the infield. I'd rather have Capra sit on the MLB bench while Baldwin continues to get every day at-bats, even if it is at Triple-A.
For those wanting Baldwin to have more runway this season, he is in a slump right now. He is hitting well south of .200 with a terrible OPS this month. It's time for him to reset in the minor leagues.
Maybe some at-bats in Charlotte will help him turn things around, and once Tauchman and Slater are traded, he can come back to see if he can reach his ceiling.
Elko would also have to be sacrificed back to Triple-A if the team decides to keep Capra for middle-infield depth because the White Sox front office refuses to give up on Andrew Vaughn. That means removing one of the few power bats from the lineup. Elko has already shown he can provide desperately needed power with two home runs in 21 MLB at-bats.
It seems foolish to send Elko down, but it took the front office what seemed like forever to call him up in the first place. Do not underestimate management's ability to cite his .190 batting average as a reason Elko has to go down, even though Vaughn's average is just as bad (and he has minor league options).
The organization still seems committed to Vaughn despite him continuing to struggle mightily at the plate. The White Sox could keep Elko up for the power potential and just make Capra the third roster cut. They can continue rotating Vaughn and him at DH and first base, with Benintendi playing in left field. That would be my preference.
At the same time, if Capra is cut, it leaves the middle-infield depth woefully thin.
Either way, the White Sox are going to have to make some really difficult decisions in the coming days as these veterans return from injury. Once these four veterans are gone, then Baldwin, Elko, and Lee can return to contributing at the big-league level. It is not ideal, but it night be necessary right now.