3 White Sox playing their way off of the Opening Day roster in spring training
As Spring Training progresses, the Opening Day roster for the Chicago White Sox begins taking shape. Top prospect Bryan Ramos has already been optioned, as have pitching prospects like Jonathan Stiever, Frank German, and Davis Martin.
However, there are still a few names in big league camp, predominantly non-roster invitees, that are playing their way off of the Opening Day roster. Let's check out the top three.
Romy Gonzalez
Romy Gonzalez is someone that may be off the 2023 roster to start.
Gonzalez, 26, has appeared in parts of the past two years on the White Sox big league club. In that time, he's made it into 42 contests and has a .241 average and a ghastly 70 OPS+. He has also struck out 50 times ... and walked three times.
He's had some considerable struggles with patience at the plate and has not done enough offensively to warrant a spot moving forward. Even on defense, he's turned into something of a utilityman but struggled to perform.
So far in Spring Training this year, he's made 16 appearances and gone six-for-31 (.194 average). He's connected for three home runs but simply hasn't performed enough and has too much competition for a spot on the Opening Day bench.
Keynan Middleton
Keynan Middleton doesn't deserve to make the White Sox right now.
Middleton, 29, is in camp as a non-roster invitee. The once-dominant Angels reliever has had some inconsistencies over the past few seasons, bouncing around the league and failing to find a long-term home in any one spot.
Last year, he made 18 appearances for the Arizona Diamondbacks, going 1-2 with a 5.29 ERA, 5.88 FIP, and 78 ERA+. While he did well at limiting walks, the numbers were down across the board for him.
Most of the White Sox's pitching staff has looked sharp in Spring Training (with a few exceptions, like Dylan Cease), but Middleton has not.
In eight appearances and nine innings pitched, he has a 6.00 ERA thanks to six earned runs on 10 hits allowed. He has not done enough to warrant his selection to the 40-man roster ahead of the regular season.
Billy Hamilton
Billy Hamilton's chances of making the White Sox might be slim.
Long known as one of the fastest baseball players of all time, Hamilton has also added "worst hitter of all-time" to his resumé. He played 71 games for the White Sox back in 2021 and had an OPS+ of 66 with a .220 average and a walk-to-strikeout ratio of 4:47.
Last year, his combined OPS+ between the Marlins and Twins was -43, thanks in part to his one-for-20 batting line.
Back in Chicago on a minor league deal, Hamilton has continued to put on a horrendous offensive showing. He has made it into 18 spring games and is three-for-27, good for a batting average of .047. Sure, there's a possibility he can provide value on the bases and in the outfield, but with a bat this bad, there's no chance he sniffs the major leagues.
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