I know of a few Chicago White Sox fans whose favorite thing to do is knock on White Sox players that have struggled with their health.
Eloy Jimenez is the butt of many jokes about being injured and it’s because he has seen a lot of time on the injured list during his career in Chicago.
Luis Robert Jr. has been on the IL frequently, more frequently than anyone would like to see honestly. He has received a lot of criticism during the last couple of seasons.
There is another player that has not performed up to his lofty status over the last couple of seasons and has left fans scratching their heads as to why he’s struggled.
The Chicago White Sox need Yoan Moncada healthy and on the field.
That player is third baseman, Yoan Moncada. Moncada has been bitten by the injury bug often and has missed some time. His being out has given the Chicago White Sox some issues.
But this season has started out a bit different as the normally docile Moncada has had a bit of an eruption at the plate.
Through the White Sox's first game with the Minnesota Twins on Monday, Moncada has been at the plate 39 times and has four runs with 12 hits and two home runs. He has batted in five runs and his slash line is .308/.325/.564.
Not a bad start to the season.
So why was it such a hot start for Moncada? Well, he may have finally figured some things out and was feeling much healthier than he had been in the past around opening day. And his health showed as he was able to play very well to begin the White Sox 2023 campaign.
But the injury bug has caught up with him.
So just how good has Moncada been? He’s been great but has appeared to have fallen off a little bit as he has had to sit due to some aches and pains.
He didn’t make the lineup in the last game versus the Pittsburgh Pirates and wasn’t in the lineup for the White Sox's first two games against the Twins due to a back injury.
He is being rested for a period of time in order to get back into playing shape. Hopefully, after he gets back from this rest period, he will continue to try to dazzle the White Sox and their fans with more outstanding play at the plate.
But you can’t help to think that there is something much more serious wrong with Moncada regarding his health. It’s natural to be a little bit banged up during the season but it appears as if Moncada is consistently “banged up”. He just can’t seem to shake these nagging injuries.
The hot start will hopefully continue once Moncada is finally fully healthy again which is consistently up in the air when it comes to him.
If he can stay healthy, we have seen what he can do, and what he can do is a lot of damage to an opposing defense. Look for Moncada to come back strong and play well but always be just one injury away, no matter how small, from struggling and being forced to sit.