The battle for who will be the Opening Day starter in center field just got clearer.
Today, the Chicago White Sox reassigned several players to minor league camps. Most notable is Charlie Tilson who was competing with Adam Engel and Leury Garcia for the starting role in center field. Appearing in eight games this spring, Tilson was 3-for-18 with three strikeouts and no walks. Tilson will start 2018 with the Charlotte Knights where hopefully he can remain healthy to get extended playing time that he's missed with numerous injuries since the White Sox acquired him.
With Tilson out of the picture, and manager Rick Renteria hinting at using Leury Garcia more in the utility role, Adam Engel is in good shape to be in the starting nine. As Engel is going through a swing change (again), the adjustments have been producing early results. Engel is 5-for-12 with a double, two home runs, three strikeouts, and four walks. We'll see if this translates to the regular season, but for a team that could be starting Nicky Delmonico in left field, having a superb defender in center would be nice.
After being acquired by the Seattle Mariners, there was excitement about the possibilities Thyago Vieira could bring to a White Sox bullpen. Just like Tilson, Vieira will start 2018 in Charlotte with hopes of learning to the command of his triple-digit MPH fastball and master a secondary pitch. Appearing only in two games, Vieira officially records one inning of work while allowing four hits, four runs (all earned), three walks, and one strikeout.
Finally, don't expect to see Dylan Covey or Jordan Guerrero make any additional appearances in games this spring. They're reassigned to minor league camp where both are planning to start 2018 in Charlotte.
Below is the full list of roster moves
Prior to today’s game vs. Milwaukee, the #WhiteSox announced the following eight roster moves: pic.twitter.com/yVP4jjV5SQ
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) March 6, 2018
