Corey Julks should no longer get at-bats. Instead, Oscar Colas should get another opportunity.
Julks has struggled ever since he got off to a hot start in May. He hit .297 with a .882 OPS after the Sox traded for him that month.
He has not even come close to those numbers since. Julks had a .206 average in June with a .598 OPS. The return of Pham and Andrew Benintendi from the IL limited him to just 12 at-bats in July where he barely touched the baseball. He is not doing much better in August.
Julks is nothing more than a fourth outfielder on a bad team. He is an organizational depth piece. Colas might be that player too, but he still has some potential as he showed better plate discipline during his brief call-up this year. Colas just could not drive the ball.
Before the Sox completely give up on Colas, it would be worth it to see if he can drive the ball during the final weeks of the season. If anything he gives a better option off the bench to get on base late in the game than Julks. Colas also has better range in the field.
Nick Senzel is not going to resurrect his once-promising career. Instead, Nicky Lopez or Lenyn Sosa should be coming off the bench.
Senzel was acquired before the trade deadline to provide depth in case Paul DeJong was traded. Now that DeJong is gone, Senzel has barely seen the field since Miguel Vargas is being given the at-bats at third base.
He is showing nothing in his brief time with the team. A better idea is to send Lopez to the bench and get a long look at what Brooks Baldwin can do at shortstop and Lenyn Sosa at second. Lopez will be with the team next year, but the front office knows what Nicky can do.
They should use this time to see if Baldwin is capable of playing shortstop until top-hitting prospect Colson Montgomery is ready. Sosa is nothing more than a utility player so platooning both at second is a better option than keeping Senzel around. Senzel was once a highly thought-of prospect, but he probably needs to go to Japan or Korea to salvage his career.