A lineup mistake that White Sox manager Will Venable should never make again

It's nice to have Lenyn Sosa off the Injured List and back on the field for the Chicago White Sox.

While Sosa has his limitations because he lacks plate discipline, he has been one of the more productive hitters in Chicago's lineup this season. Sosa's 56 hits are second on the team behind Miguel Vargas. He is batting .275 with four home runs and 17 RBIs.

Getting Sosa back gives Will Venable another respectable bat to throw in the lineup on a daily basis. But recently, Venable has been making a huge mistake by playing Sosa at first base. Sosa has been detrimental at first base time and time again and the White Sox need to stop giving him opportunities to hurt them in the field.

Sosa is not a first baseman

It's not like Sosa has played a lot of first base. He has only played 60.1 innings there over his entire big league career. 58.1 of those innings have come in 2025.

When Andrew Vaughn (before the trade) and Tim Elko were both optioned to Triple-A in May, the White Sox seemed motivated to get Sosa and Miguel Vargas some looks at first base.

I will say, even if Sosa was a competent defensive first baseman, he doesn't have the bat to play there regularly. Teams should be looking to get 25+ home runs every season from a starting first baseman. If Andrew Vaughn was a let down because he didn't hit for enough power, Sosa is really not cut out to be an everyday first baseman.

Sosa seems capable of hitting .275 with 12-15 home runs over a full season. That will play at second base, but that would be some of the worst offensive production in the league from a starting first baseman.

Offense aside, Sosa has looked awful in the field playing first base in 2025. On April 11th, he nearly cost the White Sox an inning-ending double play by dropping the ball on the transfer. On May 25th, he cost the White the game by forgetting to...step on the base? Sosa was out of position, did not step on the base, and the Texas Rangers got a pivotal extra out in the 9th inning.

Against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, what should have been a routine double play to get Shane Smith out of the first inning resulted in a throwing error from Sosa.

Sosa sailed his throw and pulled Vinny Capra off the base while simultaneously forgetting to "make sure of one" by stepping on first. He didn't have the situational awareness of a first baseman or the experience with throwing angles of a first baseman...because he's not a first baseman.

Will Venable can't let it happen again

With Ryan Noda on the roster, Miguel Vargas playing some first base, and Kyle Teel needing to show some defensive versatility, White Sox manager Will Venable cannot let Lenyn Sosa play first base anymore.

It not only hurts Sosa's development and minimizes his value, it is also detrimental to a young pitching staff that can't afford to throw extra pitches and work through unearned traffic.

The Sox can always call Tim Elko back up from Triple-A if they need another body, but I don't want to see Lenyn Sosa at first base anymore.