3 White Sox players who won't make the Opening Day roster but will contribute in 2023
The Chicago White Sox have done an admirable job putting together a team capable of contending for the 2023 season, adding Andrew Benintendi and Mike Clevinger in an attempt to vault themselves to a postseason berth.
Last year, things did not go according to plan. From injuries to players underachieving, it's no wonder the club limped to the finish line with an 81-81 record.
So far in Spring Training, the Sox are rolling along and have been getting some impressive performances, primarily at the plate, from some unheralded names.
Multiple non-roster invitees have been lighting it up with the bat and could make contributions to the big league club down the line whether they make the Opening Day roster or not.
Here are 3 players who won't make the Opening Day roster but will be contributors in the upcoming season:
1. Victor Reyes
Victor Reyes will contribute a lot to the Chicago White Sox in 2023.
Reyes, 28, is a player the White Sox are intimately familiar with thanks to his five-year tenure on the division rival Detroit Tigers.
He is a switch hitter who can play all three outfield spots at an above-average rate, steals bases, and has some impressive gap power, even if it doesn't translate to many home runs.
In 14 spring appearances, Reyes is seven-for-26 (.269 batting average) with two doubles, one run driven in, and four walks.
While this is not earth-shattering production, he is still a big league veteran who is capable of filling in on the big league roster as a replacement for an injured and/or underperforming player.
The unfortunate fact of the matter is that this White Sox outfield is highly injury prone. Luis Robert and Eloy Jiménez have both struggled mightily to stay on the field as of late, so there are certainly going to be opportunities for someone like Reyes to earn a promotion back to the majors.
2. Adam Haseley
Adam Haseley will contribute to the White Sox big league team in 2023.
Haseley, 26, is similar to Reyes but does have some traits that differentiate him from his fellow outfielder.
The longtime Philadelphia Phillies outfielder has double-digit home run potential and is a lock to steal around 20 bases a year. He owns a career .270 batting average in 400+ minor league games and has always seemed to produce better in the minors than he does in the majors.
However, he is absolutely tearing the cover off of the ball for the White Sox in Spring Training this year, to the point where he's not going to be kept down in the minors for long.
In 16 spring games so far, Haseley is 14-for-30, good for a batting average of .467 which easily leads the entire White Sox roster. His 14 hits are tied with veteran infielder Hanser Alberto for the team lead as well.
He has displayed all of the traits the White Sox would be needing from a big league outfielder, as he has four doubles, five RBIs, and has already notched four stolen bases.
The aforementioned injury proneness from the regular outfielders for the Sox makes a Haseley sighting in the big leagues even more likely than it was after his red-hot spring showing. If he is able to keep this up, there is little doubt that he will crack the big leagues at some point in 2023.
Haseley is not on the 40-man roster but the White Sox have multiple candidates for the 60-day injured list, so a place for him is likely to open up in the near future and he could very easily slot into the vacant spot.
3. Bryan Shaw
Bryan Shaw is someone that might help the Chicago White Sox this year.
Shaw, 35, is one of the most durable and experienced relief pitchers still active in the game today. The 12-year veteran has a whopping 753 big league appearances under his belt for four different teams over the years.
He has led the majors in appearances four times and has had an ERA+ above 100 eight times in his career as well.
He is in camp with the White Sox as a non-roster invitee on a minor league deal and is not currently projected to make the Opening Day roster (largely thanks to the fact that the 40-man is full and he does not occupy a spot).
Shaw is a gamer through and through. He heavily relies on a cut fastball as his primary out pitch and has made it work consistently throughout the past decade-plus.
Should Shaw end up making the big leagues at some point for the White Sox, he'd provide the club with some additional veteran leadership that players like Jake Diekman, Joe Kelly, and Kendall Graveman already are contributing.
With such a young club taking the field every day and many intriguing prospects nearing the majors, the Sox simply cannot snag enough of these veteran talents.
Big league experience only gets a player so far, though. He has to be valuable on the mound as well. Shaw is coming off of a season with the division rival Guardians in which he posted a 5.40 ERA and 71 ERA+, both at or near his career lows.
He's been off to a much better start in Spring Training for the Sox, currently with seven outings and 7.1 innings under his belt of scoreless ball.
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