The slow erosion of the White Sox’s roster depth crept ever closer to the mainland over the weekend, which isn’t even over yet.
On Friday, the White Sox announced that Jimmy Cordero underwent Tommy John surgery. Cordero had only made two appearances during the spring, and was last seen failing to complete an inning of work against the Padres on March 9, allowing three hits and two walks while getting just two outs.
Cordero didn’t figure to be a part of the Opening Day bullpen, especially after the White Sox announced the immediate plans for Michael Kopech. He did have a minor league option remaining, and looked like a good bet to pick up a fair amount of games. He wasn’t as bad as Rick Renteria’s overreliance made him look, but his stuff did slide backward a bit as well, so it’s possible Cordero’s heavy usage compounded problems.
However it happened, the White Sox will have to go without the services of Cordero’s considerable right arm, with the hope that guys like Zack Burdi and Tyler Johnson recover from their disappointing springs to provide some depth from that next group up. Cordero’s surgery was called successful, although several drill bits melted down in the course of getting to the ligament, and one member of the excavation crew is still missing.
Adam Engel, conversely, continued to cement his presence in lineups against left-handed pitching with an explosive spring. He leads all White Sox hitters in slugging (.667), homers (3) and triples (2).
Now the question is whether his numbers will freeze there for the remainder of the spring. He exited the game in the eighth inning of Saturday’s game against Cleveland after a running catch and throw, which almost thwarted a sac fly despite the obvious pain.
He walked off the field with a trainer escort, but not trainer assistance. Still, the White Sox are calling it a strained right hamstring, with further evaluation required before putting a timetable on it.
This is where Leury García comes in handy, since he’s hit lefties far better than righties over the last few years. The splits since the start of the 2018 season:
- vs. RHP: .256/.290/.349
- vs. LHP: .324/.350/.456
The bigger issue is one of confidence. Engel had the depth chart’s healthiest track record of the positions he covered, with both García and Adam Eaton better bets to miss time, and Engel more capable than anybody else of supporting Luis Robert in center field. Everybody else appear fully operational for the time being, but if Engel can’t get ready in time for Opening Day, García’s outfield availability becomes more crucial, with the utility infielder path perhaps cleared for Danny Mendick.
(Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire)
The Link LonkMarch 21, 2021 at 09:04PM
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White Sox's depth takes hits with Jimmy Cordero's surgery, Adam Engel's injury - Sox Machine
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