White Sox patience with struggling trade acquisition should soon run out

If you need any other evidence that spring training statistics don’t matter a ton, take a look at the curious case of Luisangel Acuna. The 24 year-old utilityman hit .409 with a 1.003 OPS in 16 Cactus League games, looking like he’d done a complete 180 from his abysmal 2025 season. But 50 at bats into his regular season, there’s no sign of the player we saw in the spring. The White Sox have given Acuna regular at bats to begin the season and made their plan to do so clear upon acquiring him. But at some point, the team will need to prioritize at bats for other players that put them in a better position to win, and that time could be coming soon. 

Originally signed by the Rangers, Acuna was traded to the Mets and made his big league debut for New York back in 2024. In a 14-game sample, he slugged three homers and posted a .966 OPS, giving many fans optimism about his future.

Unfortunately, his 2025 season was nothing but misery. In 95 games, Acuna slashed .234/.293/.274 with a .567 OPS. He didn’t hit a home run and only seven of his 41 hits went for extra bases. Acuna’s one positive tool was his speed, which ranked in the 97th percentile in baseball, but typically a player needs to get on base at a decent clip to even have their speed make a difference. 

Acuna has squandered the opportunity the White Sox have given him

When the White Sox acquired Acuna from the Mets in the Luis Robert Jr. trade back in January, General Manager Chris Getz emphasized the ability of the team to give runway to players who haven’t previously gotten an extended opportunity. Although he's not a switch-hitter like Getz claimed on multiple occasions, Acuna moved from the infield to primarily playing center field this winter and has been the primary center fielder for the White Sox so far in 2026. Unfortunately, his excellent spring has worn off, and so far, his numbers look even worse than his 2025 disappointment. Entering Wednesday, Acuna was slashing .180/.208/.180 with an OPS of .388. He had nine hits, all of which were singles, and only one hit that wasn’t a ground ball. He’s also been below average defensively in center field so far this season. 

The expectations for the White Sox this season, at least from external evaluators, were not to contend. Rather, the expectation was the continued arrival and development of young talent, so it makes sense that the team would give Acuna priority at bats in the early going. But how long is this leash going to last? I believe playing time should be earned, not handed out for free, and Acuna so far has not done anything to warrant prioritizing his at bats. 

The White Sox are a bit shorthanded in the outfield right now even with the return of Everson Pereira from the injured list this week. Veteran outfielder Austin Hays is sidelined with a hamstring strain, but his return should only be a matter of a week or two. Prospect Sam Antonacci has been playing left field in Charlotte and his big league call-up is imminent. Once Antonacci and Hays are on board, I’d rather see an alignment of Antonacci or Andrew Benintendi in left field, Pereira in center, and Hays in right. Acuna can and likely will remain on the roster as a utilityman given his positional versatility, but the time is coming where the White Sox can comfortably stop penciling his name into the lineup every night. 

All hope is not lost for the 24 year-old. He has an opportunity right now to get back on track and prove that he belongs in the lineup, but it’s been a rough start to 2026 for Acuna and the leash is starting to run out.

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