White Sox likely Sept. roster expansion moves are boring but totally necessary for division title

Today is the first day of September and the beginning of the final month of the MLB regular season. Not only does this begin the playoff push for contending teams, but it’s the day that MLB rosters expand from 26 to 28 players, giving each team an opportunity to add reinforcements down the stretch. For the White Sox, the priority the rest of the way should be clear: do what it takes to win the AL Central. While some teams will elect to add young players to the roster to give them some MLB runway down the stretch, the White Sox aren’t in a position to do so. That was evidenced by the team adding outfielder Tommy Pham from the Phillies to give them an extra veteran in the outfield. I believe a couple of simple moves that give the team a ton of value are still coming. Here are some other moves that could happen this week.

Activating RHP Davis Martin

Davis Martin was placed on the injured list on August 14th with a blister on his throwing hand, and it was not expected to be a long absence. After less than two weeks, Martin made a rehab start with Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday and looked sharp, throwing five scoreless innings with five strikeouts and just one walk. Martin has already rejoined the White Sox, who currently have a TBA listed for their starter on Wednesday in Houston. The question is, with the rosters expanding Tuesday, do the White Sox add another arm and wait to activate Martin until Wednesday? Drew Thorpe did not make his scheduled start in Charlotte on Sunday and could be ready to return from Tommy John, so perhaps the White Sox get creative with the roster spots. One thing we know for sure: Davis Martin’s return will come this week, and the White Sox desperately need him to regain some semblance of his early season form to help them down the stretch. 

Activating C Kyle Teel 

I’ve seen quite a bit of discourse about which catcher the White Sox will keep when Kyle Teel returns, and until this week, I think the answer was going to be both. But now, I'm not so sure. Teel, who has been sidelined since July 21 with a sprained ankle, spent the past week rehabbing with Triple-A Charlotte. In four games, Teel went 5-for-14 with a walk and three RBIs, and he could be set to return to the lineup this week. The White Sox have gotten very little production from the catcher position all season, and both Drew Romo and Jake Rogers are no exception to the struggles. Still, the team has been high on the defensive impact from Romo, and Rogers feels like the more natural platoon fit with Teel thanks to stronger numbers against lefties, so it's going to be interesting to see who the White Sox prefer to keep. With Pham taking up a roster spot and the other likely going to an arm, it probably won't be both.

Other possible candidates to be called up include Drew Thorpe, Rikuu Nishida, Jonathan Cannon, Tyler Gilbert, and Junior Perez. The moves the White Sox will make aren’t likely to be exciting, but they’re going to add important depth to a team trying to hold on to a division lead down the stretch, and they’re the moves the White Sox need to make.

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