Because no good news lasts without an equal and opposite reaction in Major League Baseball's hellscape, the White Sox announced the return of Nomar Mazara.
They opened up a spot on the 30-man roster by optioning Yermín Mercedes to Schaumburg, which reduces the White Sox's fun quotient, but makes sense given the lack of at-bats available.
No, the bad news is that the White Sox opened up the spot on the 40-man roster by moving Jimmy Lambert to the 45-day injured list. The circumstances were conducive to the worst expectations -- Lambert went on the 10-day injured list with a strained right forearm after an outing where he lacked two ticks on his fastball -- and this doesn't help matters.
As for Mazara, Nicky Delmonico set a fairly low bar for what might be considered acceptable in right field, but Mazara doesn't exactly have a whole lot he can afford to lose to rust, either. The Rangers dealt him because his career to this point had disappointed, and while the Sox saw breakout potential in him, I wouldn't count on a twice-delayed season to be an ideal time to launch a revival.
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The good news is that Mazara's a power threat if nothing else, and he adds yet another intriguing bat in the order, although Adam Engel is getting the start against a lefty tonight. Moreover, even if Mazara doesn't hit the ground hitting, I'm wondering if it'll even matter. The White Sox are heading to Milwaukee while the Cardinals are still there, because 13 members of the St. Louis organization have tested positive, including seven players.
The Cardinals were supposed to be in Detroit, so that four-game set with the Tigers is postponed. Instead, the Cardinals are hoping to head back to Missouri on Wednesday in anticipation of resuming their season Friday against the Cubs. But even if the Cardinals get up to speed by the end of the week, they're not going to be playing the White Sox in Iowa 10 days from now.
The "logistical problem" could be a desire to avoid travel schedules that are more complicated than necessary, but I suppose we'll find out more as reporters dig into it. The Des Moines Register says the White Sox figure to be part of any future Field of Dreams game, and if Major League Baseball wants to get the Yankees back in the mix, it'll have the opportunity.
(Photo by Jana Taylor)
